Sands of Time
by Mirenithil
Summary: On hiatus - After being attacked by Dark Jedi, Luke Skywalker and Corran Horn encounter an anomaly of the Force – and suddenly the Old Jedi Order isn't an untouchable mystery any longer… AU. Please read author's note in chapter 14.
1. Quiet before the storm

**Title****: Sands of Time**

**Author****: Mirenithil/Lily**

**Rating****: T**

**Genre****: General, Drama**

**Warnings****: Alternate Universe!**

**Feedback****: Will be cuddled and provided with cookies.**

**Notes****: The title and parts of the story were inspired by "Sands of Time", a song by Edguy.**

**Disclaimer****: Star Wars is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. Characters, names, etc. that deal with Star Wars are subject to the copyright of Lucasfilm, LucasArts and other bailees. This story has been written for the fun of it; I do not follow financial purposes.**

**Cover picture****: Take a look at my homepage (Galerie/Titelbilder/Sand der Zeit)**

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_**After being attacked by Dark Jedi, Luke Skywalker and Corran Horn encounter an anomaly of the Force – and suddenly the Old Jedi Order isn't an untouchable mystery any longer…**_

* * *

**"_Sands of Time"_**

**The first month**

Chapter One: Quiet before the storm

_Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Council Chambers_

Coruscant, early in the morning.

Jacen Solo looked around attentively and studied the faces of the six other Jedi-Masters that were seated in the room. All of them were deeply lost in thoughts and meditations. During the years he had learned to read even in the most expressionless face and he did not need the Force to assume that this Council Meeting would last endlessly.

/Do you hope to cope with your boredom by means of meditation/ an amused voice inside his head asked before he actually thought of meditating. Jacen flinched inwardly and looked to the left out of the corners of his eyes, to the person who sat there, not exactly knowing what to think of this question.

/I'm not bored, Master/ he finally sent back. /I made my decision and I'm tired of waiting, that's all./

/Of course you are/ came a serene answer. /But that isn't a good situation to explore the Force, Jacen. Patience./

Although the voice did not sound reprimanding, the younger Master lowered his head slightly. Nevertheless, he noticed that the intense ice-blue eyes glinted amusedly.

/Of course, Sir/ Jacen replied.

/Oh, it's not that natural, my precious nephew, it's not that natural. Don't think I forgot my first years as a Jedi Knight. And don't remind me of the time prior to my training./

Jacen surpressed a grin.

/But still/ the voice continued, a little more serious /patience shouldn't be a problem for you, Jacen. You are a Jedi-Master. Council's Master actually./

/Of course, Sir/ Jacen repeated and closed his eyes. /I've learned patience. But for the last few days, I haven't been able to find peace in the Force… it isn't a disturbance, but… something strange, like the quiet before the storm./

He felt agreement through the bond he shared with his uncle.

/I noticed it, too/ pensive words followed.

Jacen silently sighed in relief.

/I already feared I imagined it/ he confessed.

/Jacen, even when I don't notice a change in the Force the same way you do, it doesn't mean that there isn't a change at all./

/I planned to notify you at the end of this session, but it saves explanations that you feel it, too, Master. I already meditated on this matter without finding a solution/ he quickly explained.

/I didn't find one, either, but I have an assumption. Before you ask – don't be angry with me for not telling you about it right now. I have to do some research. If you receive new premonitions on this matter, inform me immediately/ he was instructed.

/As you wish./

Jacen sensed that his uncle mentally shoved the topic aside and concentrated on the ongoing Council Meeting. The Masters had been meditating for hours – it was time to come to an agreement.

"The situation requires carefully planned action", Master Skywalker's voice broke the silence. The Jedi came to attention. They shifted in their armchairs; the Force pulsated strongly in the room but the vibrations lessened more and more.

"Our decision has to be made today."

°°°

Coruscant, early in the morning – again.

"Our decision has to be made today – it almost worked, Master", Jacen yawned a full day cycle later, stood up and stretched. The armchairs were comfortable, no doubt, but not comfortable enough to _live_ in them permanently.

The Council Chambers were nearly empty – four Masters had already gone home, the holograms of five other Council Members that were currently on different missions had disappeared. To Jacen's left, Master Skywalker still sat in his chair without showing the slightest sign of tiredness. His wife, Mara Jade Skywalker, walked around in the chambers hoping to the regain control over her legs.

"You will set up the meeting for two days at least the next time, Jacen" she said in a menacing tone that did not leave room for resistance. "Otherwise, I certainly won't be the only one to reconsider your position as Council's Master."

Master Skywalker chuckled softly, ignoring his wife's glare.

"Jacen will stay our Council's Master. He does his work very well", he stated.

The praised one blushed. "Thank you, Master", he murmured while bowing slightly. His uncle smiled and overlooked his nephew's embarrassment generously.

"You'll have a meeting with your former Padawan in the training rooms soon, won't you?", he asked and raised an eyebrow as Jacen had to suppress a sigh.

"Yes, sir", he replied, bowed again and left the Council Chambers while massaging his sore neck and thinking about ways to survive hand-to-hand combat unharmed.

"You're really sadistic, aren't you?", Mara Jade asked and reluctantly sat down in her chair left to her husband's after the doors of the turbolift had closed behind the young Master.

"Why do you think so?", Luke asked, mildly surprised.

"You're sending Jacen to a training session after a twenty-four hours Council Meeting – which won't be the last one, because you're still refusing to give the position of the Council's Master to someone else", she explained, grinning.

Luke smiled back. "He can stand it. Just as we will stand further Council Meetings, Jade."

"It's not as if we actually had a choice", she wryly commented while the two of them rose and left the chambers. The broad corridor that led to the lifts was flooded by the morning sunlight. Mara Jade found she was smiling; a glimpse to the side showed her that Luke, too, relished the sight of a shining golden Coruscant and drew strength and calmness out of the peaceful scenery.

_To be continued…_

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Chapter Two: **Research**

Be careful when searching for answers. You might find yourself in strange places, still clueless.


	2. Research

**dee-unlm1t3d**: Thanks, that reassures me somewhat.

**Tonja Lehr**: Thank you, I'd like that :) Would you mind contacting me via email? My addy can be found in my profile.

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**The first month**

Chapter Two: Research

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Skywalker Apartment_

Walking hand in hand the Masters Skywalker finally reached their apartment. Mara Jade sighed deeply, threw her dark brown cloak in the next best chair and fell onto the couch. She groaned softly.

"Why is my bed so far away?"

Luke laughed. "That tired?"

Mara struggled to sit up again. "Indeed, Skywalker. I'm going to bed and don't you dare to wake me unless it's really important!" She wavered a bit while walking into the master bedroom.

Luke grinned to himself as he walked through a different door, a cup of hot chocolate in one hand, and entered the family's private garden. The humid, hot air and the green surroundings reminded him of Yavin IV – which was the main reason why he had set up this room. Amidst pots and tendrils some mats lay on the ground on which he sat down, carefully keeping the hot liquid in the cup from spilling. After he had got rid of his heavy cloak, he closed his eyes and reached for the Force.

While the Council Meeting had been held, he had tried to find more information about the 'quiet before the storm', as Jacen had called the slight disturbance in the Force, but he did not have any more success than in the last few weeks. He knew that the disturbance existed and he was certain that it would be wrong to ignore it. Thus these days, when he meditated more than usual, were a good opportunity to start a new, more direct researching method.

/What is it/ he asked himself and sent the feeling of disturbance before he quietened his thoughts and began to listen. At first there was only silence, but then the midichlorians began to whisper. Their answer was short, clear-cut and nearly managed to break Luke's concentration.

/Sith/ he thought, utterly dumbfounded. /But they have been destroyed…/

Taking a deep breath he strengthened his connection with the Force, felt the life pulsating in him and around him, felt serenity and peace flow through him like liquid light.

/Not in this realm/ he understood /but in another plain of existance. Why do they influence us nevertheless/

The midichlorians' whispers became louder, more insistant. Luke listened carefully. Slowly discomposure spread in him.

/They are searching for me…/ he arranged the news. /They are searching for me, because I'll become dangerous to them once I leave this world. But why now? Will I become one with the Force that soon/

The answer was as loud as if the words were spoken by a person standing directly next to him.

_You already are._

°°°

_Last Home, Border regions_

Luke understood at the same moment the midichlorians told him. Strangely enough, he already knew that it was not the way he thought it to be at the beginning. The Force whispered and confirmed his assumptions, but left open questions nevertheless – questions he needed to find answers to.

/By the time this is over, I've had it with meditation/ he thought wryly, sank down to the hard ground and took his time to study his surroundings. Not that there was much to study. Only an empty, grey plain that stretched, from time to time disturbed by rocky formations, beneath a pale blue sky towards the horizon. Luke reached for the Force, which was more present than on Coruscant, but he did not feel any immediate danger. A slight warning, yes, fractions of deep darkness in the far distance and rays of light in the other direction, but nothing that could endanger him right now.

An unknown time later – time probably was not of any importance here, anyway – the crunching sound of footsteps brought him back to a relative reality. Luke smiled inwardly.

"You took your time", he remarked, eyes still closed. The steps stopped.

"Your shields are impressive, Master. We barely found you", a familiar voice finally stated with unusual formality.

Although Luke's face stayed blank, his eyes mirrored mild disapproval when he opened them and looked at the two Jedi, who had stopped in an appropriate distance. He knew them both, although he recognised one of them only due to his Force signature for he had only met an… older version of him. Both wore short, light robes and dark brown cloaks; in the distance half a dozen additional Jedi waited, dressed the same way.

He rose and followed the Knights out of the border regions on towards Light's Last Home.

He did not really listen while his ecort told him about this realm of existence; his attention was drawn to the haze of darkness that followed them continuously and nearly unnoticed by the others. From time to time a Jedi looked around, as if he noticed something – but that was it. When he voiced his concerns, the youngest of the Knights ran his hands through his dark hair nervously.

"Some of the Council Members have made assumptions", he reported slowly. "But up to now, no Guardian has been able to feel more than just vague hunches. It seems to require great experience…"

"Not only experience", another one added when he noticed Luke's raised eyebrows.

"Indeed, Obi-Wan", Luke answered solemnly. "I'm worried by your lack of knowledge about this phenomenon. Jacen and I even feel it in our reality – where the Sith have been destroyed long ago."

He reveived surprised glances.

"Jacen has always been connected to the Force very strongly", the young one murmured wistfully. "And I'm not surprised at all that you felt something. What about Ben and… my mother?"

"I had not the opportunity to talk to them yet, Anakin", Luke responded.

"That would have been… yet?", his counterpart questioned astonishedly.

Luke smiled. "Yet", he confirmed his former Padawan.

"You… You are not…"

"No. I'm still sitting in my garden and my hot chocolate is getting cold." He frowned. "The midichlorians just told me about the Sith, shortly before they sent me here."

Obi-Wan Kenobi looked extremely worried. "The Eternal Council will be very interested in this. We should hurry up."

°°°

_Light's Last Home, Temple, Council Chambers_

Confused silence reigned the Council Chambers, before one of the Jedi-Masters, Eqi Utana, a member of a long dead four-legged race, looked at the Jedi-Master Yoda.

"I don't want to sound disrespectful, Master, but – you seem to be just as much at a loss as the rest of us is."

Yoda's face was expressionless while he nodded slowly. He sank deeper into the Force to find the cause of the strange disturbance that had not left them alone for days by now. Although… disturbance was not the correct term, in a way; shifting described it better and nobody was able to explain it – something like this had never happened before, the feeling was completely new. It grew stronger every hour until it filled the Force… it was like a countdown that neared an ignition – what kind of ignition it would be, nobody could tell. They only knew that it was nearly time.

Every moment could be the one.

Yoda felt as if an insivible display jumped to zero.

He flinched heavily, a movement that drew the puzzled attention of the whole Council to him. The expression of utter discomposure on his face was enough to seriously trouble the Masters.

"Master Yoda?"

The little green Jedi did not answer. His ears twitched, his eyes narrowed. Then he grabbed his omnipresent cane and hopped from his armchair, determindly leaving the Council Chambers.

"Not at a loss any longer, I am", the other Council Members could hear him saying before the doors opened in front of him and he vanished into the shady anteroom.

Behind he left dumbfounded silence.

"What is it now?", Ulic Qel-Droma suddenly asked the female Master next to him, sounding as though he feared that she might, too, disappear without an explanation.

Maleina Loriani, a Twi'lek whose skin had a breathtaking dark violet-blue colour, did not respond at once but searched for a way to express her feelings.

"I felt a Jedi entering this realm. His entrance sent a tremor through the Last Home." She paused. "Whoever it is, he leaves a lingering trace in the Force. For just a second I could feel his presence, but then he shielded himself." She looked around.

"Could this be connected to the darkness that crosses our borders from time to time?", a bird-like female Master asked with a high, melodic voice. "I think…", she added hesitantly and pranced her soft, aquamarin-coloured feathering, "that a lot of strange things happened recently in the texture of the Force. Nothing we could explain. But nevertheless a hunch tells me that there is a connection somewhere."

Ulic followed her train of thoughts. "Even though we cannot find cause and extent of the changes, we may be able to find answers through the connection between them." He obviously liked the idea, but frowned regardless. "Furthermore, I'm assuming that Master Yoda on the one hand knows about this possibilty, and on the other hand knows who this Jedi is. We should find him."

"Whom? The Jedi or Master Yoda?"

"One of them. The other one will be nearby, I'm sure."

°°°

„Hmm, heard about this, I already have. For many years, able to do this, no Jedi has been. Will of the Force, it is", Yoda mused.

Luke did not know whether to be worried or amused. Not that he knew Yoda for a very long time, but the sight of the small Master, who paced up and down the hallway, softly grumbling and hitting the ground with his cane as if to perforate the marble, seemed to be very unlike for the wise and always controlled Jedi. He decided to wait for now and savour the moment, for he had longed for his old Master's advise more than once since the days of his apprenticeship.

Yoda paused and studied his former Padawan, who had patiently listened to his pacing and his mumbled thoughts. Luke kneeled on the ground, seemingly very content with his place in the warm sunlight that lightened the arcade, and surveyed him with these eyes that still shone with the fire and the stars they had held a very long time ago, when they first met. He advanced and nudged him slightly with his cane, much gentler than he had done back then.

"My advise, you don't need any longer. Knowledge, yes, but no wisdom, Luke. Realise this, you will."

"Master…"

Yoda prodded him again and silenced him in the course before he resumed his pacing. "Told you Obi-Wan has, that problems there are, hmm? Noticed the darkness, you have."

"Yes."

"Shiftings, changes. Death has appeared. In the border regions. Two Knights, found they have been, dead. Killed in the ways of the Sith. Admitted this, their Council has not."

Someone snorted snidely behind him. "They have always admitted it. There is no reason why they shouldn't do it this time", Qel-Droma remarked and received agreeing mumbles.

Luke was surprised to see the other members of the Eternal Council here – they had obviously been searching for Yoda – and was about to rise, but before he could even stir, Yoda had laid a talon on his arm, a sign to stay where he was.

"Unusual this is. More behind this, there is. To keep a secret, they want."

Yoda noticed Luke staring into nothingness out of the corner of his eyes. Even though they had only talked for a few moments, he already knew how to interpret the blank face and pinched Luke's arm.

"What do you think?"

The former Padawan looked up.

"Were there any witnesses who can confirm that the Sith are responsible for the murders?", he asked softly and continued when Yoda shook his head: "Then there still is the possibility that they indeed aren't responsible."

"Killed in the ways of the Sith, they were. Nobody else, it could have been." Yoda leaned forward on his cane.

"It may be a hint, but not an actual proof", Luke objected decisively and ignored the glances he received for contradicting Yoda that directly. "I may remind you that I'm capable of several Sith techniques, too. And I'm not the only one." He resisted the urge to look pointedly at Qel-Droma but gazed at his old Master instead.

Yoda seemed to think about this answer and nodded gravely in the end. "More complicated, it may become this way, but right you could be." He studied him sharply. "A hunch, you have?"

Luke moved his head vacantly. "I'm not about to state that the Sith are not behind this. But even in the world of the living inconsistencies have appeared, Master… assaults… A strange disturbance in the Force", he continued, "that is caused by the Sith, according to the midichlorians."

„Hmm." A sorrowful expression came to Yoda's face. "Against you, these attacks are, aren't they? Abduction attempts, they are."

His old student nodded slightly.

"The midichlorians fancied that I would become dangerous to the Sith, should I reach this realm", he added softly and clearly uncomfortable.

The little Jedi sighed heavily and turned to the Council Members, who looked at him with blank faces. "An untimely crossing, there has been. A leap."

Someone gasped for breath.

"A leap?", another asked. "There has been no leap for…"

"… a long, long time", Yoda finished the sentence. „Yes. Yes. Willed by the Force." He glanced at Luke. "Return to the world of the living, you will, in the end."

The addressed one nodded slowly.

"Strong you are, however. Many anchors in the Last Home, you have. With you, the Force is." A deceitful grin found its way to the green face. "Hmm, think you do, that uphold the connection to the Last Home, you could? That find the way here, you could? That come here at your own will, you could?"

"That's impossible", came an immediate and confident protest from the Jedi. Yoda silenced the Masters with a glare.

Luke hesistated. He recalled the experience of being brought here by the midichlorians, questioned the Force and his feelings, his instincts.

"Yes, I think I could", he deliberately answered. "What do you hint at, Master?"

The grin broadened. "Hmm, get to know this, you will. But first, alone with the Council, I have to speak."

Luke grimaced. "Something tells me that I won't like this", he murmured, receiving a twitch and an amused chuckle from Yoda.

_To be continued..._

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Chapter Three: **Concerning surprised Jedi-Masters**

Luke receives quite a surprise, but unfortunately not the answers he searched for…


	3. Concerning surprised Jedi Masters

**grace1237**: Thanks. From what I've heard, German is quite difficult to learn as a foreign language, isn't it? At least that's what most of our exchange students say… - as long as at least one reader's with me, I'll continue :)

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**The first month**

Chapter Three: Concerning surprised Jedi-Masters

_Light's Last Home, Temple, Council Chambers_

Placidly Yoda hobbled through the Chambers to his chair while feeling the other Masters' eyes in his back. His behaviour was a riddle to them. After he got comfortable in his armchair, he finally looked at them. "A clue you have, with whom just spoken, I have?", he asked.

Some of the Jedi shook their heads, others looked thoughtful.

"Something about him was familiar", Ulic stated with a frown.

"Not surprising, this is. Much like his father, he looks."

"His fath…" Ulic gasped as realisation hit him with the force of a fully loaded freighter. "That was Luke Skywalker, wasn't it? Anakin's son…"

Yoda's chuckle was enough of an answer.

Maleina started to speak, "Do you want to put our decisions concerning Master Skywalker into action? Master, what shall we do if he, though he might think otherwise, isn't able to steadily connect with the Last Home?"

"How likely, this is?", Yoda shot back.

"Not likely at all. But in this highly improbable case, everything would just stay the way it is now. I don't see your problem, Master Loriani", Ulic commented. "I'm for it."

"Aye."

"I'm not against it, either. I was only... surprised", Maleina sighed and nodded her agreement.

Ulic grinned broadly. "I'd like to see his face when learns about this."

°°°

„What?"

Luke forgot every ounce of control earned in nearly fifty years of being a Jedi and all the good manners his Aunt Beru had tought him. Looking back, he was certain that he had stared at Yoda for minutes as if he was paralysed.

The little green Jedi laughed softly and passed Luke on his way to the high swing door of the chambers. "Heard me, you have."

The former Padawan still looked at the empty spot on the ground where his Master had stood before he slowly turned and followed.

"But…" Luke's shin got to know Yoda's cane the painful way.

"No buts!" The tiny Jedi looked at his former student sternly. "Change your attire now, you should. Want to be late, you surely do not."

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Skywalker Apartment_

One deep breath.

Luke forced himself to open his eyes. Twilight illuminated the garden dimly and saved him from looking at the chrono. He grabbed the cu, which still stood beside him on the ground, and sipped the sweet content. Just like he had expected, the chocolate was cold. Sighing, he stood up and walked into the kitchen to warm it again.

Mara Jade was still asleep and probably would be for the rest of the night, but he did not feel very tired, only slightly uncomfortable due to his protesting legs and the matter he experienced in the last hours.

He did not like it. He did not like it at all. Nothing of what he had learned. But this was not the time to think about the Will of the Force and a destiny that he could not understand and, least of all, appreciate. He had no other choice than to accept it and make the best out of it.

/To take action./

He took a sip of the hot chocolate before he crossed the apartment until he reached the door that led to his son's rooms. He knocked and reached out in the Force simultaneously.

/Come in!/ he heard Ben call through their bond.

He opened the door and, due to years of experience, looked down at the floor before he entered so that he would not step on light sabre crystals, droid spare parts or little animals, even though it had not looked like a trash compactor in here for years by now. After he walked through the open door at the end of the corridor, he found himself in a tiny office.

"Good evening", he greeted his twenty-year-old son. Ben looked up from his datapad and immediately frowned.

"What's wrong, father?"

Luke did not even bother to hide his troubled feelings from his son. The bond between them had grown to strong too put up impenetrable shields; the other way round, he always had a vague knowlegde of Ben's feelings. So, he only nodded and seated himself in a chair in front of Ben's desk.

"Yes, something is wrong, though I don't know what it is. Your former Master and I have felt something in the Force for quite some time now, something that Jacen has accurately described as a 'quiet before the storm', and I want to know if you felt something similar", he said and peered into Ben's bright eyes.

The young Knight hesitated and slowly put the datapad aside. "I'm not sure", he murmured pensively. "Somehow…"

"… you don't find the usual serenity in the Force?", his father finished the sentence enquiringly when Ben paused.

"Yes, that's a way to put it. But I didn't notice a concrete problem", his son responded while trying to define his feelings. Luke strolled around the desk and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Let it be", he smiled. "I didn't want to know anything else. I'll take care of it; you, on the other hand, should worry about your little students."

His eyes twinkled amusedly, but the shimmer was not bright enough to completely cover up the shadows of concern.

°°°

_Coruscant, Solo Apartment_

Luke felt his sister reaching out in the Force only fractions after he had knocked at the door. He sent back a warm smile, shortly before the door in front of him glided to the side and let him enter.

"I don't interrupt anything, I hope", he said while hugging his sister. Leia smiled and shook her head.

"No, no, Luke", she answered. "You never bother me. I didn't expect you, that's all", she laughed and led him into the living room to a group of comfortable white armchairs. Leia smothered imaginery wrinkles from her light green dress for a second, put a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at him quizzically. "There's a reason for your visit, I guess?"

"Do I need a reason to visit my favourite sister?"

Leia laughed. "I'm your only sister, Luke. And no, usually not. But you're worried, brother dear. Something's troubling you", she stated, frowning slightly.

Luke sighed. "I want to ask you something", he began slowly and told her about the feeling that he shared with Jacen and his son. In Leia's eyes he saw that she had noticed it, too – and that she was just as concerned about it. She did not even bother to answer.

"What do you think it means?" she asked instead and dove deeper into the Force, noted a familiar, advancing presence on the edges of her senses, nearly outshone by her brother's, but not to overlook.

"I don't know, no one knows", Luke confessed. "And I don't like the fact that, up to now, only members of our family were able to feel it."

/… and some of the most powerful Jedi-Masters of all times, but I doubt that even they would have noticed, were they still alive/ he added silently, carefully shielding his thoughts from Leia. Luckily she sent a greeting to her daughter the very same moment.

"The reason for this can only be our relationship with Anakin. He as a Sith…", she said afterwards.

Her brother frowned. "That would only be possible under the condition that his fall to the Dark Side has retroactively influenced our genes. I doubt that this happened, how should it? We weren't born by the time he fell", he objected.

"Will of the Force?", Leia asked with raised eyebrows and just a bit of black humour.

"The Will of the Force is not the solution to all of our problems." Luke leaned back and started to brood.

He had already assumed a connection with Anakin Skywalker's Dark Side and been backed up by the Eternal Council without hesitation. He also remembered the talk with his father shortly before his departure. Anakin and his name-sake grandson were two of the few Jedi in the Last Home who were able to feel the dark veil. His father was concerned, like most of them, but not alarmed, explaining to his son that things like these happened from time to time. Only Master Yoda and Ulic Qel-Droma were more than just a bit troubled.

Luke shared their worry.

"Uncle Luke", his niece Jaina Solo Fel greeted him at this moment and ripped him from his pensive mood. He smiled and rose to hug her, gladly noticing that at least one of the twins did not address him by his title in private.

/That bad/ Jacen's twin sister laughed inside his head.

/Worse/ he replied wryly. /I gave up./

"That's not like you", Jaina commented with a grin and dropped down onto the couch.

Luke knew better than to answer and also hid his musings that she nearly looked too grown-up by now. Leia heard him nevertheless and had to surpress a giggle.

/She has been grown-up for a long time. Just like Ben/ she whispered.

/Not if Mara can help it./

_To be continued... _

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Chapter Four: **Wearing my face**

Jedi-Masters behave strangely – and they are not the only ones.


	4. Wearing my face

**skywalker05**: Thanks! I think the New Jedi Temple is said to be pyramid-shaped, but there will be a brief description of my own version of the New Temple in one of the later chapters… seven or so, if I remember correctly. The Last Home will be explained further, too :)

Corran will be introduced in the next chapters. As for the time travel… In the words of several millenia of Jedi-Masters: Patience :D … all in due time.

I've already written twenty chapters (there will be fifty in the end), but correcting and especially translating takes some time.

* * *

**The first month**

Chapter Four: Wearing my face

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Archives_

Luke frowned. He did not discern the words displayed on the screen in front of him, for he was not able to ignore the feeling of being observed any longer. It was no rarity that he was studied by someone – people's attention was drawn to his presence wherever he was. Usually he was not overly bothered by this.

But since he felt the intensity of this glare as clearly as he would have felt a blaster shot, he changed his opinion on short notice.

Determindly he closed the file named 'Loriani, Maleina' and rose from his seat. He did not need the Force to say who the person was that was so fixated on him. His observer looked at him as if he was a vision – and he looked straight through him.

Luke passed two high shelfs and advanced to the Jedi-Master, who stood at the end of one of them with a datapad in his hands, turned on, but forgotten. Gently he touched his arm.

"Kam?"

Kam Solusar came to attention as if hit by lightning. It took him unusually long to get a grib on himself; finally he looked at Luke…

"Master."

… and even then his voice was strangely hollow. He studied Luke as though he saw him for the first time, again with this empty gaze, like he did not see the Master but a memory, a picture taken from a dream or perhaps only a whisper of such.

"Is something wrong, my friend? You don't seem to be yourself today", Luke asked, slightly concerned about this untypical behaviour.

Kam kept still for a long time, so long that it seemed he did not want to answer or had not heard the question. When he finally spoke he did so carefully, slowly, like one talks to a long lost friend, afraid he might vanish before one's eyes and be only an illusion.

"Everything's okay, Luke", he said. "I think."

"But?"

Kam visibly pulled himself together and, for the first time, looked him squarely in the eyes.

"I feel as if…" He stopped. Luke exchanged puzzled glances with Tionne. The fair haired woman had appeared next to her husband and shrugged, showing she did not know what this was about, either.

"As if I remembered something that I deemed forgotten. It's strange, but there is someone in my memory who reminds me of you, Master."

Solusar shook his head to chase away those thoughts.

"A memory of your childhood?"

This time, the slightly older Jedi did not hesitate.

"Yes", he answered, frowning. "This morning I often had the feeling of… doors opening to memories I thought I'd forgotten. But this doesn't explain why I'm reminded of you."

"Could you remember meeting my father? People say we resemble each other strongly."

Solusar crossed his arms and looked to the ground, thinking. "Perhaps. But it isn't a face I see, only a shadow." He continued studying his counterpart. "Perhaps only a feeling turned to a shape."

°°°

_Coruscant, Manari Spaceport_

"Jacen?"

"Locked. Force-proof." Jacen Solo grimaced and turned away from the doorlock. "Should we cut our way through?", he asked and laid a hand on his lightsabre.

Luke thought about it, looked at the second door of the small waiting room and shook his head. "I think we could short-circuit the lock if no additional security has been added."

"That's most likely the case." The young Master removed a piece of the wall and studied the electronics behind it. Soon he had disappeared to the elbows in cable spaghetti.

Luke watched him and strechted out with his Force senses.

"Nobody has noticed that something's wrong."

"The flight isn't due for the next two hours. It will take some time until we'll be missed", Jacen agreed and left a dark trace on his forehead when he put some strands of hair out of his face. He paused. "I wonder about the reason behind this. Nobody has tried to capture us yet."

"Yet being the keyword here, I think." Luke looked closely at the ceiling and the corners of the room. "Jacen, do you remember our talk two weeks ago?"

"Quiet before the storm? Of course. Do you see a connection?"

Luke sighed. "Yes. But..." His thoughts wandered and recalled the strange behaviour Kam had shown earlier. „... you didn't notice something else, either, did you?"

His nephew did not answer at once but worked on the lock with concentration, though Luke saw him tense slightly.

"It's a strange feeling", Jacen finally began to report. "I've never felt something like this before. I cannot grasp it, cannot understand it, and this worries me. As if… one looks at a picture, a complicated picture, that changes its details. The pictures stays the same, but it is… richer. Deeper. I… when I think about it, I believe that this is the thunder, Master. This is the event which the silence announced. Because…"

He stopped. His senses screamed in danger.

"Listen", Luke whispered the very same instance he himself noticed it – a fizz, barely audible.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Gas", the older Jedi agreed and took his lightsabre. "I think we should settle on the faster way."

"No objection here, Master."

°°°

Two hours later, Jacen watched two bounty hunters and one Dark Jedi being hauled off before he turned to Luke.

"I don't get it, Master. All these months and still no sign of any intention, neither politically nor economically." He shook his head.

"Perhaps there was a sign and we overlooked it. Or didn't understand it", Luke replied, sensing the slight frustration in Jacen, and seated himself in a chair in the wide main waiting room of the spaceport. "Something's undeniable, though: They get more and more creative."

The way Jacen studied him and pressed his lips together did not suit Luke at all. He guessed his nephew's thoughts and interrupted him just when he was about to voice his concerns.

"Jacen… I'm just as worried by this development as you are, believe me. And because of this…" He gestured for him to sit down and looked around to make sure nobody could eavesdrop on them. "Because of this, I'll tell you something I got to know about the background of these attacks. I'm not allowed to tell you this, but I think the situation justifies an exception – and I trust you to stay true to your word when you give me a promise."

Jacen managed to look deeply insulted without stirring.

"That you can."

Luke gave him a pacifying smile and began his narration.

°°°

Jacen had withdrawn into a quiet corner, deeply in thought. Luke watched him for a while, saw him trying to analyse the recently given information, to understand the coherency. The Master knew that it would be in vain. Too many details were missing to make the picture complete.

He let go of his concerns for now and waited for the reason of his presence here at the spaceport in front of the gates. Even though his intuition told him that everything would turn out to be a lot more complicated, he dearly hoped that the news he expected were not connected to Sith Lords, dead Jedi-Masters and transcendental experiences for a change. It was a rather rational hope, seen from a logical point of view.

"Master Lowbacca, Padawan Solo", he greeted the Jedi who stepped through the doors at this moment.

The Master barked a greeting while Allana Solo confined herself to bowing respectfully. Her eyes searched the room for a second; when they lit up Luke knew that the girl had spotted her father.

"You said you've made an interesting discovery, Lowbacca." He looked up to the wookie who affirmed this and gestured to his apprentice.

Allana inclined her head. "I've made this discovery, Master."

Luke nodded. "All right. Come on, let's take a seat." He let them to a group of empty chairs near to the place where Jacen still brooded and prompted the girl to start her report.

"As you know, Calja is a far off planet which is completely isolated from the rest of the galaxy. It's a peaceful place, so Master Lowbacca allowed me to go for a walk on my own one evening. On this walk I met two persons", Allana accounted in her succinct way.

"And?", Luke asked as she hesitated. He leaned forward.

"I felt their potential in the Force. I was surprised because those two had obviously been trained. They were human, a man and a woman, both quite old, Master, and they had had no contact to the galaxy since the days of the Old Republic – but they knew your name. They knew that you are Anakin Skywalker's son."

Silence reigned for a second.

"How is this possible?", Jacen wondered. He had stepped next to Lowbacca. "Are you sure, Allana, that they couldn't have picked up this piece of information somewhere?"

"Yes, Master Solo. We checked everything – there are only two communication centres on the planet that are capable of off-world communication, and both of them are highly secured. The Caljan people are very proud of their independence", the girl confirmed in a neutral voice.

/The main problem with the Force is the fact that even rational hopes are seldomly fullfilled. The Force does not appreciate human logic/ Luke mused with slight resignation. He just knew that this was a further part of the puzzle which longed to be added into the picture at the right place.

/Foreigners know my name. Darkness in Light's Last Home. And a feeling turned to a shape wearing my face./

_To be continued…_

_

* * *

_

Chapter Five: **Disputes**

Luke and Corran argue, Mara threatens and still, everyone's at a loss what to do…


	5. Disputes

**Skywalker05**: Thanks! Again, I cannot promise anything concerning the next chapter; everything's rather hectic at the moment.

* * *

**The second month**

Chapter Five: Disputes

_Coruscant_

„I don't like this. I don't like this at all", he mumbled.

Three weeks later, Luke Skywalker still had not advanced any further in solving the puzzle and neither Jacen nor Ben had been able to help him. He had actually started to question the members of the Skywalker-Clan on a regular basis to get to know their views on the disturbance.

Without results.

The riddle of the shifting in the Force seemed unsolvable and even the Eternal Council was helpless. Anakin Skywalker and Anakin Solo had been assigned to gather information but had not found anything usable yet.

Tension had spread.

Luke had been sitting in his small Corellian shuttle for quite some time now, staring out of the front window at the nightly city. Beside him, Artoo uttered a sequence of twittering sounds.

"No, no, I'm just thinking aloud", he responded and stretched slightly. "Thinking too much, probably. Would you be so kind as to help me fly the ship back to the Temple?", he asked and leaned back, eyes closed. He felt tiredness in every single one of his aged bones and since Artoo had developed an astonishing talent in flying the shuttle, he allowed the little astromech to take over the controls.

He was fast asleep when the expressionless voice of a droid pierced the loudspeakers some time later. Artoo bleeped again.

"I'm fine, just tired", he assured his little mechanic friend and touched a switch in the cockpit.

"Temple Control, this is the _Evenstar_, Luke Skywalker. Requesting permission to land."

"Permission granted, Master Skywalker. You are free to land in Hangar Seven", came an answer.

Luke was about to interrupt the connection when another voice sounded.

"Still travelling around that late at night, Master?"

"I return that question, Corran. What are you still doing in the Temple?", Luke wondered and motioned for Artoo to slow the shuttle down as they approached the lighted hangar that was reserved for the Skywalkers' ships. Besides his old X-Wing, it held the _Jade's Sabre_ as well as a bigger, seldomly used yacht and Ben's little shuttle.

"Corran?"

"Master Hor… Halcyon just left Temple Control", the piqued voice of the droid replied. And softly, as if speaking to a colleague, „How am I to know by which name he goes today? Last time I checked I wasn't a phone book."

Luke had stopped listening for he felt Corran entering the hangar and waiting at the door until the _Evenstar_ had gently landed on its designated spot. Frowning, Luke opened the hatch and walked down the ramp to where the Jedi-Master awaited him.

"Good evening", Luke greeted and nodded when Corran bowed slightly. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Good evening to you, too, Master", the other greeted back. "I was searching for you and was about to find out where you had gone", he added with a pointed glare at the tiny shuttle. "Because I somehow doubt that you hide Jacen or another Jedi in there."

Luke studied him appraisingly.

"One should think that I could visit my sister without someone spying on me", he said, not making accusations and without anger, but without the slightest trace of humour, either. Corran, who had returned the indignant glare impassively, grimaced slightly. He knew Luke well enough to notice the resignated tone of his voice and to interpret it correctly.

"Do you want to discuss this topic… again?", he asked.

"Is there the tiniest chance that the outcome will be different?", Luke asked back and started towards the door after Artoo had left the shuttle, signalising he had finished his work.

Corran followed him.

"No. You've been outvoted. Eleven to one."

Luke did not answer immediately. "You're exaggerating", he finally said. "And you know it."

"Cannot be careful enough, Master", Corran began and obviously was about to enlarge on every reason why it would not be safe for the Master to leave the Temple alone; Luke's pleading glance stopped him, though.

"I'm well aware of this." Luke stopped. "I see the situation clearly, Corran, and I'm not about to get careless. But if I'm unable to visit my own sister – who lives in the safest place on Coruscant – without somone following my footsteps, I cannot put this away as 'safety measures'. This goes way too far."

"Luke, now you're the one exaggerating. It's only temporary and you'll be accustomed to it in a few weeks. Besides, I'm not about to question the safety of the Imperial Palace – the flight and the way out of the hangars to the more guarded parts of the Palace are what I'm worried about", Corran tried to explain, already noticing Luke's expression, which spoke of pure stubborness.

And indeed, the answer was not unexpected.

"What do you want to do, Corran? Accompany me even here in the Temple? To my apartments, to the meditation rooms, into the gardens? You have to draw a line somewhere and I won't make my decisions about whom I visit on account of someone else. If I did so, I could just as well lock myself in my office."

He took a deep breath and forced down his frustration. When the other remained silent he continued, "I won't accept this, Corran. Please understand."

Surprisingly, Corran did not contradict but looked at Luke and pressed his lips together, displaying a resigned expression in his eyes.

"As you wish, Master, but I cannot agree with you."

Nodding, Luke turned away from him and continued walking through the dark, empty corridors of the Temple. He only met two maintenance droids repairing a glow-panel and a Master-Padawan-Team, who obviously had just returned from a mission; they carried travelling bags and looked pretty exhausted. The two of them did not notice Luke, who waited in a shadowy corner until they had vanished behind the closing doors of a nearby turbolift.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Skywalker Apartment_

"Something wrong?", a yawning Mara asked when he finally dropped down on their bed. She put aside the datapad she had been reading. Luke sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling before he slowly turned his head and started to reply.

"I think I was a bit hard on Corran."

He felt Mara's frown more than he saw it in the dim light. His wife reluctantly adjusted the pillows in her back to get a better look at his face. Her suspicion had been unlocked – her eyes shimmered dangerously.

"You had an argument with him?", she made sure since Corran and Luke usually got along well together; they were good friends and had more or less the same opinion in most cases.

"Luke, about what…", she began as he nodded, before understanding dawned in her eyes. "Where have you been?", she enquired quietly and far too camly.

"At Leia's", he responded and mentally prepared himself for the outburst of fury that most likely would follow soon.

"Alone?", Mara asked, her voice ice-cold, although she already knew the answer.

"Alone", he responded.

The silence lasted about a heartbeat long.

"Skywalker", Mara hissed, sitting bolt upright. "If you leave this Temple unaccompanied once more, it will be the last thing you'll ever do." She cut off his protest. "And no. No, I don't think you're able to defend yourself on your own. Not always, not everywhere, not in every situation."

Luke opened his mouth again.

"And yes. Yes, I do believe that the others are capable of handling these situations. Three of our best Knights, Luke, along with Jacen and Corran – it takes more than manipulated messages, cut wires and a bit of gas to stop these five."

"Granted", Luke mumbled. "But…"

"Not buts!", she shouted and glared at him before she fought down her anger.

"Luke", she started, gentler this time, "we are worried about you. We need you here. No one here wants something to happen to you – least of all myself."

Luke did not answer; to Mara, this was a sign of victory, since he actually thought about her words. His eyes were empty as he looked out of the window into the night, exhaustedly. Mara knew that this discussion would have lasted the whole night in the past, but he had grown tired of arguing.

"Do it for me, if not for anything else."

°°°

Half an hour later, Mara Jade was finally asleep. Luke himself was tired but forced himself to stay awake until Mara's breath became regular and her Force presence calm. He could not allow himself to sleep just yet.

When he was sure that his wife would not wake up suddenly, he too closed his eyes and sought the Force's calm and serenity. It was a fraction more difficult than usual, something that worried him; normally, nothing could disturb his connection to the mystic energy field.

He put aside his doubting and confused thoughts and concentrated instead.

It was difficult to reach Light's Last Home without active help from the Force. He felt as if he tried to swim up a river against the stream, including wrenching currents, shallows, sharp rocks and rapids. He took a deep breath and sent out his senses, out into the galaxy, searching for anchors that might help him to fulfill this task.

/Behind the visible, look you must/ he heard Yoda's voice and smiled a bit. His old Master's presence met him halfway, showed him the path. He reached for it, held on to it, found Obi-Wan's and his own father's signatures amidst the maelstrom that sucked him in.

In Light's Last Home, Luke Skywalker opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.

"I get better", he chuckled when he noticed that he had appeared mere minutes away from the Temple in a garden instead of somewhere in the border regions. He looked down at himself and smiled even broader. "But I'm still in need of some practice…", he mumbled. He wore white robes, but his cloak was of the same dark brown colour as the one he had worn in his reality.

Surprised, he raised his eyebrows when he reached the exit of the garden shortly after.

"Master Loriani."

"Master Skywalker", the Twi'lek greeted back and smiled. Without further explanation she handed him his white cloak.

"Thanks."

"You are getting better", she commented and shot him an amused glance.

Luke shook his head slightly and folded the dark cloak in his arms. "Indeed. But still, it is a difficult quest", he added. The two Jedi started to walk towards the southern entrance of the Temple.

"Maleina… the disturbances grow more frequent. Did something similar occur here?"

"No, Master. At least we didn't notice anything. If I may ask, which anomalies did you notice?"

"More or less the same as the last few times. Memories that occur suddenly out of nowhere, both to Jedi and non-force-sensitives. People who hold information they couldn't possibly have. My family worries", he enumerated.

"Abduction attemps?"

"Two more. Once they tried gas, the other time it was a manipulated navigation computer." Luke sighed softly. He nodded to the Guardian who opened the door for them and entered the shady, cool Temple behind Maleina. Few Jedi were present in the broad corridors and the silence was nearly palpable.

Luke felt his worries easing. Here, in this realm of existence, nothing seemed to be able to interrupt the natural flow of things. Steady as a clock history took its course.

"What do you worry about?", Maleina asked softly while they neared the Council Chambers.

"Something's amiss. Something's about to change profoundly. And these changes will affect the Last Home as well. I'm sure of that." He paused and controlled his vigorous voice. "Did the Sith's Council sent an answer yet?"

"They did. And they deny any connection to the abduction attemps. Master Yoda thinks they're truthful, especially due to the note that was added below the letter: 'There's a difference between spoiling one's game and shattering the board'. It was signed by the new Head of the Council. Darth Plagueis", the Twi'lek Master told him, obviously not sure what to think of it.

"Sidious' Master", Luke added quietly and looked around. "Thanks, Maleina", he dismissed the female Jedi and advanced to Yoda, who stood by the high windows in the anteroom and looked outside. While Loriani entered the Council Chamber, Luke patiently let the little green Jedi study him.

"Hmm", Yoda finally said. "Worried, you are."

"The processes Master Loriani told me about trouble me, Master."

Yoda's ears twitched. "Not worried you should be about problems of the Last Home. Everything all right it will be, as soon as the problems of your reality, solved they are. Solutions there you have to find, not here. Careful you must be, Luke. Very careful, yes."

Far away, above the horizon, the air shimmered with a greyish tint where the border regions were located.

/Traces of darkness. They are advancing/ the former Padawan thought, slightly distressed, but ackknowledging the truth in Yoda's words.

"Careful to what extent?", he asked, alarmed and with the hunch of a bad feeling, which increased when his Master just looked to the ground for a moment without answering immediately.

"An assumption I have. Present it to the Council, I will today."

°°°

_Light's Last Home, Temple, Council Chambers_

"Sure, I am. Meditated I have a long time. No other way, I see."

Yoda stopped.

Eqi Utana scrabbled the floor with his hooves. "Just to clarify: This is about the reason behind the attacks on Master Skywalker?", he asked sharply.

The diminuitive Master nodded. "About this, it is. More dangerous they are than thought, we have. More there is behind them than dared to think, we did."

He looked to his left, where Luke sat, seemingly relaxed, looking to the floor with a blank face. When he felt his old Master's eyes on him he looked up and nodded with reluctance. Yoda seemed distressed. He adressed Luke directly when he spoke.

"When dead you are, of not value you are to the Sith. In the Last Home, more dangerous you are to them than alive. Even if they destroyed you here, never vanish you would. A memory you would stay, a prophecy, a dream, a part of the Force."

Luke let loose a breath and leaned back as the idea of Yoda's assumption sank in.

The old Master nodded. "Understand you do."

"Indeed." Luke pressed his lips together and fought to keep his composure before he looked up into the questioning faces of the other Council Members. He gathered his thoughts. „I don't have to explain that there are many possibilities to turn someone to the Dark Side. I don't have to explain that they do not necessarily have to be subtle", he said shortly.

There was silence for a moment until realisation creeped onto the Masters' faces.

Finally, Ulic pensively said: "Perhaps it is the subtle way after all, if only to make you vulnerable. I don't think that…"

"… the last few months didn't leave their traces? Of course they didn't. I'm the first to admit that it's gruelling – not only the attacks but especially the reactions of my surroundings. Vulnerable? Not to an extent that could give them a starting-point", Luke explained resolutely.

The last thing he needed right now was a second Council with protective ambitions. It had been a long, long time since Light's Last Home had been attacked by the Sith. First of all, this was a problem of the living.

Ulic grinned undestandingly, Maleina smiled slightly.

Luke noticed this with relief and again addressed Master Yoda. "You don't believe that the Sith's Council is behind this, Master?"

The old Jedi motioned to a small crystal on Luke's armrest. "When read the message you have, probably agree with me you will, Luke. Undoubted it may be that Sith are behind this, but not on their Council's order, they act. Their Council, displeased it is. The addition especially important, it seems to be. A powerful Sith Darth Plagueis is. Not foolish he is. Not like Sidious he thinks. Unpredictable he is. Inscrutable his intentions are."

/There's a difference between spoiling one's game and shattering the board./ The words that Darth Plagueis had used would not leave Luke alone any more.

_To be continued... _

_

* * *

_

Chapter Six: **One of those days**

It's not a nice day for Jacen Solo. It really isn't.


	6. One of those days

**Tonja Lehr**: Thanks! … Could you point out the mistakes? I'd like to avoid them next time.

**Skywalker05**: Hmm, I'm still struggling a bit with the finer aspects of the English language, but I hope that I'll get more practice in time :) I'm glad you liked Corran's introduction.

**Cat in a box**: Thank you! … All in due time. The time travel will come – in fact, the German chapters are long since written – but… well, let's just say that my stories tend to be rather dynamic. Originally, the time travel already started in chapter two or so, but then the planning got more complicated and it ended up in later chapters, since I need the first chapters to set up later developments. Sounds complicated, I know, but don't worry, I know what I'm doing… at least that's what I like to tell myself :D

* * *

**The second month**

Chapter Six: One of those days

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Outer Gardens_

Devoutly, Jacen Solo laid his hands on the railing of the wide balcony and let the sunrays warm his face. He closed his eyes, thankful for the beautiful quiet morning. Growing on the balcony were different exotic flowers from Yavin IV; it was the favourite meeting place for Padawans and their Masters to discuss what to do with the day, for couples and for friends to plot pranks – unfortunately. More than once he had suffered from these coups. But today, everything was just as peaceful as it should be.

After casting one more glance at his wrist chrono he reached out in the Force and detected that his delayed former Padawan was on his way to meet him – leaving behind some 'collateral damage'.

"Master Solo!", Ben greeted, slithered to a halt in front of Jacen and sketched a bow. He looked at his older cousin with a glance that conveyed a mixture of pity, fright and quiet gloating.

"Ben, what's wrong?", the Master asked worriedly.

"I…"

"_Jacen Solo_."

Jacen looked past Ben and blanched visibly. The young Skywalker felt his cousin trying to calm himself with the Force – and failing gloriously. He understood him perfectly well. The tone of the voice suggested something between a galactic war and the downfall of the universe.

/I wanted to warn you without her noticing, but she blocked me…/ Ben sent softly and immediately felt suspicious eyes on him.

Around them, Jedi-Knights and some Masters with their Padawans tried to look as uninterested as possible, as if they were involved in their talks too deeply to notice anything else. Their compassionate curiousity was nearly palpable, though.

Mara Jade Skywalker stood in the doorway, feet planted shoulder-wide apart, hands on hips and a dangerous cold glitter in her eyes.

Jacen's facial colour still was not quite healthy, but after some vain attempts he at least found his voice.

"Master Jade Skywalker."

"I know who I am", Ben's mother hissed.

Jacen nodded carefully. "And what…", he began, questioning, but did not get the chance to finish his sentence.

"Could you explain to me, oh precious nephew", Mara Jade asked sweetly, "Could you explain to me why I accidentially got to know from my husband that he has spent yesterday evening with your mother – without you knowing, let alone accompanying him?"

Jacen stared at her for a moment, before he fully comprehended what she had just told him.

"What…"

"You've understood me perfectly well!", she said, a little louder, and took a step forward. Ben noticed that his Master had to draw heavily on his composure to avoid stepping back, although there still were several step lengths between the two of them.

"Master Jade Skywalker, I didn't know…"

"Good for you. If you had known and still hadn't gone with him, you'd have been in trouble right now."

Jacen was absolutely convinced that his momentary situation deserved the term 'trouble', but wisely kept silent and let his aunt continue.

"You didn't really think that he would let you accompany him voluntarily, did you? – If you let him leave this Temple alone once more, you'll be bantha fodder, both you and Corran", Mara threatened. "I don't care about Luke's opinion, by the way."

Ben watched his Master nodding hastily and keeping his consideration of Master Skywalker's ability to avoid him and Corran to himself. Jacen was convinced that he shrank several centimetres while Mara Jade studied him for a second or two. She obviously was not satisfied with his reaction, but let it go for she turned around and vanished into the interior of the Temple.

On the balcony, a dozen Jedi exhaled relieved breaths.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Main Gym_

Luke felt a heavy case of guilt rising within him and sighed. Mere seconds after he had left Corran the evening before he had regretted his harsh words.

He did see the necessity of the safety measures – to ensure the Order's well-being. And he actually should be able to put the Order's well-being above his own.

Again, he sighed and let himself sink against the near wall. He closed his eyes. Whether he admitted it to himself or not, the riddle – the disturbance in the Force, those little changes, all those parts of a puzzle – influenced him deeply, would not let him go. Quiet helplessness threatened to overwhelm him, because no matter what he did, he did not achieve any progress.

He had not thought about what he had done and said last evening, he had made Jacen's difficult task even more demanding. It was time to apologise.

Mara had not mentioned the topic this morning, but he had felt that she had carried it with her and now, hours later, he thought he should have known better. She had already lectured him enough on sneaking out of the Temple; now, Jacen was made responsible for not noticing.

"Master?", Jacen asked from behind, a worried frown on his face, his head inclined respectfully.

Luke smiled. His self-pity had been so deep that he had not noticed the young Master's powerful Force presence advancing.

/I'm getting old/ he thought and at the very same moment sensed that a special part of his mind shifted. /You didn't eavesdrop, did you, Mara/

/It's more about not getting enough sleep, farmboy/ his wife commented wryly, no longer hiding that she had been listening the whole time. /And where do you get this idea from/

/Call it a hunch./

"Jacen."

Luke gestured for him to advance and studied him briefly. He then reached out and touched the younger one's mind with his own. His nephew lowered his mental shields without hesitation, providing an insight into thoughts and feelings – to Luke, this was a sign of utmost trust. He was not the least surprised by the emotions he received since they were similar to his own. Finally, he left his counterpart's mind and laughed softly.

"There we are now", he said quietly, ignoring the questioning glance, and suddenly became serious again.

"Jacen, I want to apologise for getting you into trouble. I didn't think before acting."

His nephew seemed surprised at first, then embarrassed, and shook his head.

"No, don't. I understand", he replied. "I've been protected by a variety of people for the better part of my youth… I know how unbearable it can be. It takes time to get used to it, Master."

He smiled a smile he seemed to have inherited from his father.

"I should have thought about the possibility of you sneaking out, and that's what I have to apologise for. It's my task to make you get used to it – and in Aunt Mara's opinion it doesn't matter wether you want it or not. You won't get rid of me anytime soon."

Luke grinned. The fact that Jacen did not address his aunt by her title showed him that he, despite taking the reprimand seriously, was not the least affected by it.

/Did he really call me 'Aunt Mara'? Who is he and what has he done with my nephew/ his wife asked, feigning horror.

/Yes, he did/ Luke thought back. /And you, you are still eavesdropping/

/I shouldn't have snapped at him like this, I know he would never knowingly allow you to get into danger/ Mara muttered.

/He didn't get me into danger, Jade./

/You know what I mean./

/Indeed./

/Always want to have the last word, don't you/

/Of course/ Luke finished the short mental duel. He noticed the amused glimmer in Jacen's eyes as he turned his attention back to him. "She isn't angry with you. Not really", he explained shortly.

"I know", Jacen sighed. "But she's right. I…"

"Enough of this", he cut him off. „Let's don't talk about this any more, we're here to train."

"If you think so."

Luke nodded, left his place by the wall and put aside his black cloak before he took his lightsabre from his belt.

Two hours later he managed to not cut off Jacen's hand by millimetres as the other suddenly froze in the midst of the duel.

"Jacen!"

The nephew ignored his Master's sharp tone, cocked his head and continued to stare at a point above Luke's right shoulder. "Is that beam supposed to be bent like this?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Luke turned, dumbfounded, and followed Jacen's glance to one of the beams that supported the high, slightly arched ceiling of the room. It was bent so much that it seemed almost rubber-like – and even while the two Jedi were watching, it seemed to dissolve into dust.

Disharmony sang in the Force.

"Jacen?"

"Master?"

"What's above this ceiling?"

"Our planetary communication systems, as far as I'm informed."

"We should trigger off the alarm to warn of the danger of collapse."

"Master, our alarm signals range from the one for imperial surprise attacks to invasions of Dark Jedi to danger of flooding – I don't know why – but there's no signal for 'Our Temple dissolves into thin air'." Jacen studied the beam, which was only half as thick as it should haven been. "We could invent a new signal and name it 'What the hell is going on?'."

"Figures. I don't know what about you, but I think we should make ourselves scarce before…"

The two Jedi used the Force to catapult themselves several metres towards the door, just as the beam vanished and the room suddenly was halfway open to the sky.

"… the ceiling comes down", Luke finished his sentence and dusted himself off.

"The rest of the room holds steady", Jacen murmured after studying the structure of the ceiling. "It only was this one beam… Master? What the hell is going on?"

Luke had pushed the dust to the floor so that he could inspect the damage better. "You are assuming this was an attack?", he asked his nephew.

"Would be the first time they attack our Temple, but I cannot think of any other reason for massive permacrete to turn to dust."

"Get to know if it's possible to induce something like this – after you've examined the rest of the Temple…" Luke hesitated. "This beam wasn't produced specifically for our Temple, but was recycled. I think it stems from a villa high up in the mountains. Perhaps it was just old."

Jacen's glare showed what exactly he thought about _that_ theory. The younger Master turned to the Jedi who had entered the room after hearing the noise and began to organise the examination of the Temple.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Great Hall_

"Have you seen Corran today?"

"No, but I talked to Mirax. He's busy somewhere with Wedge, she didn't know exactly what it was about, either", Mara replied absently and looked up from her plate. Luke joined her at the table with his own tray. His short hair was still damp from the shower and he was dressed in his customary long dark robes.

"Has Jacen found anything yet?"

"No", he answered, visibly dissatisfied, but just as pensive as she felt. He poked his meal aimlessly with the fork before he got a grip on himself and started to eat.

"Is it that bad?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your argument with Corran. It troubles you greatly, Skywalker."

Luke thought about this for a moment and leaned back. "It wasn't an argument", he slowly explained. "But I want to apologise to him nevertheless. I let it sound as if it was entirely his fault."

Mara Jade resolutely laid her fork aside and reached across the table to put her hand on her husband's arm. "Luke", she began, using a tone he recognised; he obviously had said something that was just typical of him. "He knows you didn't mean it. But if you really want to talk to him, take the chance and ask him to accompany you to the Senate next month. With him, the visit probably will be a lot more bearable", she smirked.

"You're right, of course."

"That's not exactly new."

"Mara…"

"Don't anger me, Skywalker, or I'll begin to tickle that secret out of you", she teasingly threatened.

Luke blinked and laid his hand on hers. "Secret?", he asked, irritated, and looked into Mara's green eyes to search for a sign of anger towards him.

She just nodded, though. "There's something you are keeping from me, farmboy. I don't know what it is and I won't question you any further, but I know it's important… no, Luke", she said when he started to justify himself. "If you don't want to tell me, I'm sure you'll have your reasons. Just one thing – if those reasons involve your terrible overprotectiveness, spill it. Now."

He studied her for a few seconds. "They don't."

She nodded. „Then I'll leave it at that. For now. But only because I have more important things to worry about", she clarified quickly.

Luke chuckled. "Don't tell me you are afraid of getting soft in your ol… uhm, more experienced days?"

She gave him a sardonic smile. "Saved yourself the last second, Skywalker. You're getting better in quick thinking after all."

Both of them turned their heads when they heard a soft laugh between their temples. Balancing his empty tray on three fingers, Ben made his way through the moderately taken tables to the one where his parents sat, slightly away from the others.

"Mother, Master", he greeted and sketched a bow. He seated himself when his mother gestured for him to do so and put his tray down without a sound.

Mara looked suspicious. "What's it with your good mood, Ben?", she asked apprehensively. The innocent look her son sent her had not worked on her and Luke for years now.

"Aren't I allowed to be in a good mood without a reason?", Ben asked, knowing he could not trick his parents.

The two of them glanced at each other.

"No", they said simultaneously.

Luke laughed softly and shook his head, finally concentrating on his meal, while Mara studied her son. He hid something, probably having seen his friends plotting something with the older Padawans. He himself seldomly took part in those plans since he always received the biggest trouble in the end.

"What did they do this time?", she wondered, frowning; when Ben opened his mouth, though, she hastily said, "No, I think I don't want to know."

"Whatever", Ben commented, fished for some sweets from his father's tray and stood up.

"What, that was it? No questions, no talk about your day?" Luke put on a theatrically serious and hurt look.

"I'm really, really sorry, but I… have to go to Cilghal", his son said, surprised for a second, before looking around and hurrying away. His parents looked at each other, both rising their eyebrows.

"Cilghal?", Mara repeated.

"The infirmary seems to turn into a highly appreciated hiding place", Luke pondered.

"Hiding place? From whom?" Her husband waved for someone behind her back to approach.

"Excuse me, Master Skywalker, Master Jade Skywalker", Jacen greeted.

/Does this answer your question/ Luke sent. "Yes, Jacen?", he asked and continued, without waiting for an answer, „Do you think Ben knows who did it – whatever they did?"

Jacen's face stayed calm and controlled, but both Mara and Luke felt surprise coming from him through the Force. "You knew? – He's shielding too well, I cannot find him to confront him about it."

"What did they do?", Mara asked and sighed, remembering the bad feeling she immediately had had when Ben had approached.

Her nephew shrugged, restlessly shifting his weight from one leg to the other before becoming aware of his movement and clearing his throat. "Uhm… it's not really that important, I just thought… all right, all right", he hastily added when Mara glared at him. "They re-wired a comstation and one of those terminals in our Archives… the first one only dials that pub two streets from here, which they, in fact, aren't allowed to know, the second one gives no other search result than a cooking recipe for nerf-steaks. Ben was there and watched them or even gave some help. – The pub's owner is about to ban Jedi from his place, by the way."

Luke and Mara looked at each other, both of them barely able to contain their laughter, although some wrinkles of disapproval appeared on Mara's forehead.

Luke shook his head. He looked amused. "Think of it as a compliment. Not all Knights are good enough to hide from you. He won't be able to avoid you for long, though… on the other hand, you should not get him to betray his friends, Jacen." With these words he stood and moved to take his tray away.

Mara stared at his retreating form for a few seconds. Then she turned to her nephew, who, surpressing an unnerved sigh, still stood there without movement. "You were just as bad when you were Ben's age, you know", she stated and gave her cold meal an annoyed glance.

Jacen just nodded. "I will take care of this tomorrow. I've had enough trouble for one day… I just hope that…"

"Master Solo!", an exicted voice echoed through the hall. His daughter Allana slithered to a halt next to him, bowed and handed him a datapad. "A message from the Senate. The repairs of the gym cannot be financed as long as the cause of the damage isn't determined. They want a provisional report and will sent a committee to examine everything, especially to determine if it was an attack or not."

The dark haired girl bounced away into the general direction where the other Padawans annihilated their evening meal.

Jacen looked down on the screen with unveiled disgust, sighing audibly.

"It's too late to apply for leave, isn't it?"

_To be continued..._

_

* * *

_

Chapter Seven: **Scars **

Luke has an unlovely experience, mysterious scars appear, Corran and Valin have to think along the lines of 'What to do when your shuttle does what it wants, namely nearly crash into Mara Jade's ship' and chaos ensues…


	7. Scars

**Skywalker05**: Thanks! I'm really glad you like my characterisations.

**Cille**: Thanks to you, too. I hope I'll be able to update more frequently from now on… :)

* * *

**The second month**

Chapter Seven: Scars

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Council Chambers_

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master, watched the other Council Members leaving the chamber looking more or less tired, partly still wrapped up in discussions. The meeting had lasted longer than usual; Jacen had presented the results of the investigations and different theories had been discussed – adding to the Order's everyday problems.

To sum it up: The Council was at a loss.

Mara Jade Skywalker stretched a little, took some steps forward and then turned back to Luke with a prompting glance. He saw tiredness in her eyes and slight worry. She did not seem to feel comfortable. He too was unwell. Luke sighed, choosing to dispatch the feeling as exhaustion, and stood up. At least he tried to.

"Luke?", Mara asked softly with raised eyebrows. Her voice sounded strange, seemed to be far away, her face was blurred and fuzzy like a badly adjusted hologram.

"Master!"

He felt Jacen catching him when his knees suddenly gave in and his vision turned to black. Sharp, burning pain shot through his upper body as if someone had just stabbed him with a lightsabre. Tempting, painless unconsciousness lurked on the edges of his mind.

Jacen did not understand where the agony came from that his Master projected in uncontrolled waves, but immediately began to send pain suppressing and calming signals nevertheless. It did not take Luke long to gather his strength back, to sustain his mental shields and keep the pain in check, all the while he was still fighting against the impending unconsciousness. His thoughts were already focused on finding a reason for the unexspected break-down.

When Luke opened his eyes, he directly looked into Mara's pale, worried face. Behind her, he recognised the blurry shapes of several others Masters, bend half way above him, and on the edge of his vision some of Jacen's long, dark strands of hair swayed. He forced himself to relax the muscles in his chest and took a shaky, cautious breath. The pain subsided more and more, went back into the nothingness it had come from.

/Luke?/

/It's all right again/ he tried to calm down his wife, thankful to be able to speak mentally. He did not think he had enough of a breath to say anything out loud yet. His throat was dry and hurt, as if he had been unconscious for a long time.

/What was 'it', by the way? – And no, it's not all right. Cilghal already called the infirmary./

/Mara…/

Cilghal waved to two healers who ran into the chambers this very moment and forced herself a way through the worried looking other Council Members. Mara reluctantly moved to the side as the Mon Calamarian quietly debated with Jacen. The latter finally nodded to one of the healers; together they helped Luke to his feet. The Master noticed that, although the pain had vanished, he still felt weak; he had to lean on his nephew and the other Jedi heavily while they were accompanying him to the infirmary.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Infirmary_

"I'd put this incident into the same category like vanishing beams. I'm at a loss, to be honest", Jacen softly explained to his aunt about three hours later.

Cilghal, who stood next to him, nodded slightly. "There's no physical cause both for the pain that Master Skywalker described and the following collapse. He showed and still shows every symptom of a heavy lightsabre wound, followed by a healing trance and a slight weakness in the healing process, maybe due to his age, but he does not have such a wound."

"Although…"

"Although?", Mara Jade asked nervously and looked to Luke, who lay in his bed and tolerated the various examinations with his stoic Jedi-Master's patience.

"Well…", Jacen began, frowning, followed her glance and searched for words. "Master Skywalker has a scar at the described spot."

"He didn't this morning!", Mara exclaimed after recovering from her surprise.

"I know, Master Jade Skywalker." Jacen shrugged helplessly.

"And you, do you see a connection between this scar and the other incidents?"

He shrugged again. "Just a hunch. I know that Master Skywalker thinks along these lines, too, though."

Mara nodded half-heartedly, pushed past a droid and entered the small examination room. "Some things never change", she mumbled while sitting down on Luke's bed. "It never gets boring around you. Once there's nobody to fight against, you fight against thin air."

Luke's eyes twinkled and for a second his uneasiness concerning the examination vanished. "That's me, I guess."

°°°

_Coruscant_

"Dad, you did notice that we're listing, didn't you?", Valin Halcyon asked, clearly doubting, and grabbed the armrest of the co-pilot's chair.

"How do you figure that, pray tell?", Corran asked back through clenched teeth. His hands flew over the controls of the shuttle.

"You too did notice that we're on collision course with this building, didn't you?"

Corran did not waste time answering. He swore and maltreated the steerage with modest success. "Corellian Hells, Valin, what kind of junk did you buy?"

"The spare parts were flawless!", his son defended himself while dropping out of his seat as Corran put the shuttle into a steep turn to evade the building. The Jedi-Master dared to glance out of a side window before concentrating on the controls again. "Take care of Security, will you?"

Just then a warning came in, telling them to dock at the next platform. Valin flipped a switch and thought about what to say. "This is the _Naboo II_, Jedi-Knight Valin Halcyon. Our steerage is malfunctioning, we've nearly lost control over the shuttle and are trying to reach a hangar of the Jedi-Temple to – Dad!"

"I know, I know!", Corran shouted back. "Whistler! Reverse thrust!"

His little astromech beeped frantically and swished from on corner into another.

"… to hopefully crash-land without being squashed", Valin finished his sentence, barely controlled.

Seconds later the loudspeakers cracked. "Will do, _Naboo II_. We're accompanying you. Please try not to take any parts of buildings with you."

Valin forced a laugh. "Thanks. _Naboo II_ out – Dad!"

"Do you think I'm blind?"

"Just two more minutes, two more minutes and we're in the Temple…", Valin murmured and chose another frequency. "Temple Control, this is the _Naboo II_."

"This is Temple Control. _Naboo II_, what's going on with you out there?"

Valin sighed with relief when a Jedi's voice came over the loudspeakers. If he had been connected with a droid, they probably would have had to fly in circles around the Temple for days before getting a permission for their plan. „We've lost control over our shuttle and need enough space to crash-land."

For several seconds only a hissing sound answered. "The Skywalkers' hangar is quite empty. As long as you don't damage the _Jade's Sabre_, there shouldn't be a problem. We're sending a medical team and the techs up there."

"Like hell we'll do. Jade would've us polishing each scratch by hand", Corran muttered and changed course to evade a freighter.

"Thank you, Temple Control. _Naboo II_ out – Dad!"

"I'm not deaf, either, Valin!"

"All right, I'm sorry…", the son murmured soothingly and sighed as the Jedi-Temple came in sight. Based on classic Alderaanian architecture, its elegant forms contrasted with the grey buildings around and it was visible afar. Valin noticed that the air traffic around the Temple was being redirected, probably on behalf of the Temple Control, to prevent people from crossing the unpredictable way of the _Naboo II_. "Uhm, the hangar is further up, Dad. To the left."

"Tell this to this piece of junk, not to me."

Corran flew a circle around the Temple, narrowly evaded the sleek middle tower and managed to direct the shuttle to one of the four smaller ones. A small, highlighted square marked the nearly empty hangar where only the _Jade's Sabre_ and a small X-Wing could be found.

"Hold on tight."

"Just what do you think I'm doing here?"

"I didn't address you. I meant Whistler."

"Your concern for my safety is heart-rending."

The moment the _Naboo II_ crashed into the floor of the hanger pressed the air out of Valin's lungs. With a deafening screech and flying sparks the shuttle skidded on a few metres until it jerked to a halt – just centimetres away from the _Jade's Sabre_.

Corran waved some smoke aside and studied his work.

"That was narrow", Valin shakily commented and disengaged his hands from the armrests. Slowly.

"It's called talent, Valin." Corran stood, helped Whistler into an upright position and kicked the damaged hatch open.

While dusting off his clothes, he looked around the hangar. The floor sported long dark scratches, a control panel was only a smoking something in the wall, but otherwise, nothing seemed to be damaged… if you overlooked the deformed mass that, until recently, had been a shuttle. Behind the _Naboo II_, on the other side of the hangar, a tiny shuttle named _Aurora Coriolis_ soundlessly landed. Shortly after, Ben Skywalker strolled down the ramp, closely followed by Allana Solo and the Fel-Twins, Jaina Solo Fel's children. He studied the scene in front of him before approaching Corran.

"Master Halcyon", he greeted and bowed before nodding friendly to Valin. The children imitated him, thus rising Corran's mood visibly.

"The junk Valin bought nearly got us killed", he explained and started to open the shuttle's outer hull. The Fel-Twins, being interested in everything technical, joined him immediately, while Allana excused herself and Ben signaled to the medical team that everyone was fine. Soon enough some techs joined Corran. Ben soothingly patted Whistler, while the astromech reported the terrible flight to him, and listened, not without amusement, to Valin's reaffirmation that the bought spare parts had been flawless. Only when the steady murmur of the techs, Corran and the twins suddenly stopped, he forced his attention back to the situation.

_To be continued... _

_

* * *

_

Chapter Eight: **Dust to Dust**

The crash is not the only riddle to be solved…


	8. Dust to Dust

**The second month**

Chapter Eight: Dust to Dust

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Hangar 7_

"Siman, Simé, please go back to the crèche now. I'll be coming soon", Ben sent the Fel-Twins away. Both of them made a face and murmured something, but left the hangar nevertheless. "And no eavesdropping!", Ben shouted before he approached Corran.

The Corellian gave him a lopsided grin. "Ben Skywalker, Jedi-Knight and Super-Nanny. You could earn a lot of money that way."

"I'm busy enough as it is, thank you very much. May I know what you found, Sir?"

"Nothing." Corran eyed his son with a mixture of silent anger and confusion.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Nothing, Master Halcyon?"

Corran sighed. "Nothing. The place where the broken part should haven been is empty. Valin, are you _sure_ you've built it in?"

"Of course, Master Halcyon." His son addressed him formally, as it was common among the children of Knights and Masters in the presence of other Jedi. Corran mumbled something which sounded like a curse and studied the shuttle again.

Ben on the other hand frowned and spoke up. "Master Halcyon, perhaps we should tow the shuttle into the main hangar", he proposed, taking a look at the chrono.

"Yeah… I seriously doubt the _Evenstar_ and _Father's Heart_ will fit in here", Valin estimated and looked around. Some hull parts of the _Naboo II_ had been hurled rather far.

Corran nodded absent-mindedly. "And I'm quite sure that Jacen will be very interested in the vanished parts of this piece of junk."

One of techs looked up upon hearing those words. "It's not as bad as it looks, Master Horn. Give us ten days and she'll fly again."

"Good to know. And at the moment it's Halcyon again."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Sir."

The Corellian waved the apology away. "No problem", he growled. "It's not as if I understood the sense in this anyway."

"I think it's called 'Re-animation of the traditions of the Old Order' or something like that", Ben added with a broad grin.

"I don't care", Valin noted. "In fact, I like it."

"I wouldn't mind, either, if they just left it at that. But no, we have to jump from Horn to Halcyon every other month. At least they could have given us a second ID. I'm getting tired of telling our family history to some security guards over and over again. Besides…" Corran's grumbling voice slowly faded into the interior of the shuttle when the Jedi-Master and the techs started the necessary repairs to tow the shuttle into the main hangar.

°°°

_Coruscant, Manari Mountains, Somewhere_

"Are you _sure_ you got the correct coordinates, Jacen?"

"Yes, Jaina, I am sure", he half-heartedly answered and checked the nav-computer for the third time. "Artoo?" The astromech bleeped in confirmation. „My words exactly." Jacen landed the _Father's Heart_ on a plain piece of land and opened the hatch. Together with Jaina, Artoo and a dozen other Jedi he exited the yacht and looked around.

"Jasa, there's nothing here."

"That I see."

"There should be something here, though."

"That I know."

"So what?"

"We're going to search." Jacen resolutely turned to the Jedi. "As far as we know, an Imperial Villa should be here, as well as gardens and a landing platform. The buildings were deserted after the Empire fell and were used as a source for building material. Among other things, the beam in the gym stemmed from this mansion…"

"… that isn't here where it should be", Jaina added softly.

"… that isn't here where it should be", Jacen repeated. /Not here?/ he thought. Something told him that it was more along the lines of 'Not here any longer'. Or perhaps 'Never been here'?. "Of course there's the possibility, however small it may be, that we received the wrong coordinates. We're going to split up and search the surroundings. Watch out for everything, physical evidence on the rocks as well as disturbances in the Force."

Jaina Solo Fel watched the Jedi disappear in the near shadows, felt their senses stretching and searching. "You don't believe we've got the wrong coordinates", she stated. Jacen slowly nodded. Lowbacca growled softly and turned. Suddenly he let out a surprised howl and started walking. "Did you find anything? Lowie?"

"I feel something, too…", Jacen murmured while following the Wookie at a more sedate pace. "Jaya, don't you?"

"I do, but what is it?", his sister asked and stared at the dust beneath their feet. She dispersed it with one of her boots.

The Force sang.

The twins looked at each other. "The building _is_ here." Jacen looked around. Dust covered the rocks. "What is left of it, that is." He crouched down and grabbed a handful of the dust, watched it vanishing into thin air right in front of his eyes. "At least we know why the beam disappeared, then."

"But now we have to find out how an entire _mansion_ disappeared."

"Jaya, to be perfectly honest, I didn't expect anything else."

°°°

_Coruscant-System_

Mara Jade took the _Evenstar_ out of hyperspace with routine and let the planetary controls guide her into the next waiting loop. She switched on the autopilot, leaned back in the pilot's seat and stretched out her Force senses. At once she felt Luke, who was sitting in the tiny area behind the cockpit, deeply immersed in a meditation that was deeper than anything she had known to be possible up to this point. It seemed as if his spirit was not a part of his body anymore but already one with the Force. The Jedi-Master knew better than to worry, though. With Luke, even she did not always understand what was going on. Just like a week before, concerning his unexpected and still unexplained breakdown.

"It happened again. I don't know what exactly came to pass, but I felt something changing", Luke just told the Eternal Council on another plain of existance and earned worried glances. "And no, I'm not affected by the change", he added with the slightest tone of resignation.

Qel-Droma grinned. "Forgive our nagging. You cannot hold it against us", he stated.

"In no way." Luke, too, had to grin, before he called himself back to the business at hand.

"Anyways, I'm really grateful for your ability to stay connected to Light's Last Home. Should something happen, we're going to notice it a lot faster this way. And we're ahead of the Sith's plan that way, too."

Yoda chuckled. "That, from the very beginning my idea has been, Master Qel-Droma."

Luke nodded, smiling at his former Master and forstalling his next comment. "That does not mean I'm about to get reckless", he declared. "I'm not that anxious to die or get captured."

"In the latter, case you're connection to the Last Home wouldn't help you, anyway", Maleina sighed.

"We're just at the beginning of a far greater problem", Luke went back to the original topic. "With the current facts we're not able to get a picture of the situation. We need more time."

"Hmm, more unsettling, this riddle becomes. Luke, pick someone out you should, who carefully examines all disturbances", Yoda spoke thoughtfully.

"My nephew already did this over the last few weeks. He is going to undertake this task", the former Padawan agreed. "I think he noticed the beginning of the disturbance sooner than I did. I'm sure he is going to suceed."

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Hangar 7_

"_Sithspawn_! What did _happen_ here?", Mara Jade's voice echoed throughout the hangar. Behind her, Luke walked down the ramp with a prominent frown on his face and too examined the scratches on the usually spotless floor. Mara studied the surroundings with the eyes of a carnivore ready to hunt. "And where is the idiot that grazed my ship? – _Ben Skywalker_!"

"I'm innocent, mother!", Ben defended himself, hastily coming over from the _Jade's Sabre_ and greeting his parents with a short bow.

"What happened, Ben?", his father asked, although a small part of him already knew the reason behind the damage.

"I would like to know that, too." Jacen Solo joined them. Behind him, Jaina deactivated the engines of the _Father's Heart_.

Ben only hestitated for a brief moment. "I think Master Halcyon should explain this to you, Master. He currently is in Hangar 2… and he's in a bad mood", he added with a grin.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Hangar 2_

"Siman! Simé! I think I told you that you're not supposed to eavesdrop! – No, don't answer that. I _know_ I told you. Off you go!" The two of them seemed willing to protest, but then noticed their mother turning to them and giving them a _look_. No one disobeyed a mother who was capable of such a look. Especially not if her name was Jaina Solo Fel. Grumbling, the twins vanished into the next lift and Ben, giving a relieved nod to his older cousin, hurried to catch up to the group, who already entered the second main hangar of the Jedi-Temple.

"Corran?"

"Master Skywalker, Jacen", the Corellian growled and nodded to the others.

"CorSec, _what did you do to my ship_?"

Corran flinched slightly and his expression grew even more sour, if that was possible. "You should be grateful that it was just hit by flying parts and not by this piece of junk back there. But I think Knight Halcyon should explain further, Mara. Valin! – Jacen, you're going to like this."

Valin came over from the pityful remains of the _Naboo II_, obviously not really enthusiastic and slightly pale around the nose, but too much of a Jedi to show his feelings otherwise. He wriggled under his father's glare before Jacen asked him to report. After he finished his little speech, there was silence – for about a heartbeat.

"You are going to polish _every single scratch_ by hand, Valin. You have until tomorrow morning."

The Knight swallowed, but knew better than to contradict.

Meanwhile, Luke looked at Corran thoughtfully, noticed the Corellian playing through possible scenarios in his mind and analysing them. "Get the shuttle repaired, we're going to need it again soon. Check all the other ships in case something similar occurred. Jacen", he gestured for his nephew to follow him and left the hangar with one last glance to his wife. Mara Jade Skywalker watched them go with a frown on her face.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Council Chambers_

„What did you find, Jacen?" Luke seated himself in his armchair in the otherwise empty chamber and looked at his former Padawan promptingly.

The other remained standing in an appropriate distance and carefully formulated his thoughts. "Another riddle, Master", he began and told him about the singing dust where the mansion should have been. "Why does this happen? Why are things disappearing while memories resurface?", he finally asked helplessly.

"I don't know", the Master responded. He appraised the younger Jedi. "But I want you to work on a solution nevertheless. We have to find out what's behind this ere worse things happen. Pick someone to assist you in your work as Council's Master and keep me informed."

"As you wish."

"Send Lowbacca and Allana back to Calja. They are to invite the two Knights of the Old Republic to Coruscant."

Jacen set this on his mental list, too. "I will ask Ben to help me out", he murmured softly. "A bit of organisational work will be good for him."

"He won't agree with you", Luke chuckled.

"When Allana is gone, he'll have one child less to look after, so he can spare a bit of his time to help his old Master."

"Yes."

Jacen studied his uncle, worry etched into his face. "Master?", he finally asked, very softly, kneeled down next to the armchair and carefully touched his arm.

Luke seemed incredibly tired. When he looked at his nephew, deep sadness shone in his eyes. "Jacen… I have to ask for a favor."

"Of course."

"If we're not able to find the reason for our current situation, it will escalate in short notice. I feel that something will happen, Jacen, and if it happens to me, I want you to know what to do." A sharp gesture cut off the younger man's protest. "In this given case, I want you to contact the Eternal Council. I know you'll suceed if it's necessary. But _only_ then."

His nephew looked to the floor distraughtly. "You know something will happen to you, don't you?"

"Yes", Luke sighed. "But I don't know what it's going to be. It could be anything… please, don't worry. The future is always in motion and even the most powerful Jedi are not able to predict it correctly. I just don't want you to stand helplessly in front of the problem when it arrives." He studied his former Padawan intensely. "The faster you solve this riddle, the less we have to fear. But don't let this cloud you judgement. I trust you to find a solution, Jacen."

_To be continued… _

_

* * *

_

Chapter Nine: **Worries**

Wherever you look, nothing but problems... whoever said that patience was a Jedi trait is in for major trouble.


	9. Worries

**Pollyped**: Thank you very much!

**Secret** **Places**: Thanks to you, too :)

* * *

**The third month**

Chapter Nine: Worries

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Hangar 2_

"Lowbacca?"

Surprised, Lowbacca stopped and turned to the familiar voice behind him. "Master Skywalker", he greeted in Wookie-language. "I didn't expect you here."

Luke smiled. "I'm not going to keep you for long, Lowie, don't worry", he replied, knowing the eagerness of the Master to return to Calja. "I just wanted to advise you to be on your guard during this mission", he added seriously.

Lowbacce inclined his head slightly. "We're just going to invite them to Coruscant, Master…", he began. "A vision, Sir?"

Luke shook his head. "Just a bad feeling, to be perfectly honest", he explained slowly. "A really bad feeling, nearly a sense of foreboding. Keep looking out for Dark Jedi, Lowie."

"Do you think they are going to interfere? Forgive me for putting it this way, but up until now they haven't shown interest in anyone but you."

"I'm afraid they have, we just didn't notice it", Luke spoke softly. "I will explain my assumptions once you're back safely. Then I will have certaincy concerning their motives – that I sense… be careful, Master Lowbacca, and look after your Padawan."

"That I will. You too, Master; I would not like to return and hear that one of those attacks has been successful."

Allana looked out of the hatch of the ship enquiringly. "Master Skywalker." She bowed.

"Padawan Solo", Luke said evenly and, turning back to the Master, continued, "I'm not going to repeat myself. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master", Lowbacca inclined his head and shooed his pupil back into the interior of the ship, a shuttle named _Naboo IV_, before he followed her after one last worried glance.

"Always…", Luke whispered while the shuttle started and left the second main hangar.

Mara Jade stood in the living room, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her eyes piercing, when he stepped into his apartment later. She wore light trousers and a wide tunic, the fiery red-golden hair fell over her shoulders, still damp, her face was slightly reddened due to a hot shower. She smelled of Yavin flowers.

Mara snorted dismissively and put her arms around his neck. "Don't get all mushy on me, farmboy."

"And why not?", he asked softly and planted a light kiss on her lips.

She sighed. „You have to be in the Senate in two hours. Negotiations with the Bothans, in case you forgot. I chose something for you to wear."

"Thanks", he mumbled.

"Jacen will come by to fetch you and escort you to the Halcyon's apartment. Corran will accompany you to the Senate", she added, seemingly casual, but her eyes glittered in a way that promised nothing but trouble should he get the idea to argue.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Skywalker Apartment_

Jacen knocked at the Skywalker's apartment door right on time, thinking that he should better stay silent the next time his uncle needed a bodyguard. After what had happened he was not so sure if he really wanted the job. He nodded to Ben Skywalker, who opened the door to him, and asked as a precaution, "Master Skywalker is still here, isn't he?"

Ben smiled slightly, his eyes glittering. "Here? Yes. Present? Only from a certain point of view", he said and ,with a slight bow, waved him inside. Irritated, the young Master followed his former Padawan through the corridor into the living room.

"Good evening, Jacen."

"You too, Master Jade Skywalker", he greeted back and was about to ask where her husband was when something soft, like cloth, brushed his hair. He looked up, not really surprised. Luke bore an expression of utter calm, nearly blissful serenity on his face; his legs were crossed in the usual meditation pose and his eyes were closed, while he floated about two metres above the ground as if it was the most casual thing in the galaxy. His elegant dark grey and off-white robes swayed beneath him as he drifted towards another corner of the room.

"My words…", Ben mumbled and threw himself onto the couch.

Mara Jade laughed softly before craning her neck. "Wake up, farmboy!", she shouted.

Luke's eyes opened immediately and he fell like a rock, but landed safely on two feet. He stretched slightly; perhaps it was just imagination, but he seemed to be less tired than in prior days. "Jacen."

"Master", the other replied respectfully.

"You should hurry. The Bothans are not about to get any more friendly by letting them wait", Mara Jade remarked and playfully slapped her son, who looked gleeful to no end. "Now, Skywalker, you can let yourself be seen in public." Finally, she was content with Luke's appearance when he had put on an off-white cloak. "Out, both of you." She looked at Jacen significantly, a glance that the Jedi-Master returned full of unease.

He caught himself exhailing in relief after the apartment door had closed behind him and Master Skywalker. Luke chuckled softly and shook his head just as Jacen was about to apologise. "You shouldn't take her that seriously. At least not all the time", he calmed his nephew.

"If I didn't take her seriously, I'd live to regret it. It's not as if I were afraid of her, but…", the other replied before Luke raised a hand and silenced him.

The Master smiled. "There's a difference between fear… and fear of Mara Jade, Jacen. She gives the word a whole new meaning… don't waste your thought on it", he concluded with a smile and obviously not the least bit troubled, while they entered the second main hangar. Luke grudgingly took the co-pilot's seat and silently observed Jacen handling the controls of the newly repaired _Naboo II_, confidently, but not with as much routine as some other Jedi. He received the clearance to take off and slowly left the Jedi-Temple.

°°°

_Coruscant, Halcyon/Horn Apartment_

"Stop grimacing, Corran", Mirax Terrik Halcyon grumbled when her husband entered the living room, wearing a big frown and tugging the neck of his dark brown robes.

Corran frowned even harder. "Is it _that_ hard to understand that I don't like to go to senate meetings concerning Bothans?", he asked, while ignoring unpleasant memories of Borsk Fey'lya. "Every single one of them tries to annoy me to no end."

Mirax raised one eyebrow. "You do know that quite a lot of people tend to say this about Corellians as a whole and yourself in particular, don't you?", she remarked without looking up from her datapad. "Besides, this isn't about the Bothans, Corran, I think it's about the fact that you're going to accompany Luke although he doesn't want you to", she added.

He snorted and did not answer – thus showing Mirax that she had hit the mark. She was about to open her mouth and interrogate her husband when the door bell rang. Corran mumbled something unintelligible, grabbed his cloak and gave Mirax a hasty kiss ere leaving the living room.

"Wish you a nice evening, too", she shouted after him, a frown evident in her voice.

Corran sighed; he was sorry for letting his bad mood affect her that way. "Master", he greeted coolly. He noticed Luke studying him intently and, without using the Force, reading him like an open book. For a second he was tempted to tell him to mind his own business. Luckily – although something like luck did not really exist in his mind – or rather in full knowledge of the words on his counterpart's tongue, Luke turned away from him after giving a short, thoughtful nod, and started walking towards the next turbolift.

/Control. He's not responsible for you mood – control…/ he scolded himself and surpressed a relieved sigh before following him. Although Luke was the calmest person he knew and did not bother with formalities, he was not exactly sure how the Master would have reacted had Corran actually spoken those words. He did not intend to find out, either, even if Luke usually overlooked his occasional emotional release, knowing the Corellian would not act on these emotions.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Administration Department_

Jacen Solo's office had distinct similarity to a battlefield.

Its owner did not mind all that much at the moment, though. He sat behind his desk, three small piles of datachips in front of him – 'Useless', 'Maybe useful' and 'Just more riddles' were Jacen's mental denotations – behind him boxes and cases with more information, on his lap a datapad, and skimmed through the data of the Temple's Archives with a speed that rivaled a droid.

With a sigh and a metallic sound another chip landed on the biggest pile, 'Useless', started a small avalanche that advanced towards the edge of the table and was stopped short by a wall of empty mugs and cups. Every now and then Artoo rolled in, sometimes bearing further boxes, mostly carrying strong caffeine drinks, and tooted compassionately.

A comlink beeped and shattered Jacen's already strained concentration. "Solo", he answered sharply and added, albeit more softly, "I sincerely hope it's important. For your sake."

"Skywalker here, Master", he heard the voice of his former Padawan. As if Ben suspected the harsh reprimand his Master was about to give, he continued quickly, "Forgive me for interrupting, Sir, but could you come down to the crèche right now? It's important."

Jacen frowned. He knew that Ben would not ask this if it was not a pressing matter and that he did not have to doubt his cousin's estimation of a situation. If Ben said it was im important, it was. And he did not like that at all. "I'll be with you in five minutes. Solo out."

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Crèche_

"Daddy!", Anakin Solo cried excitedly when his father stepped through the colourfully painted glas door into the crèche. He let go of his personal Super-Nanny and rushed over as fast as his little legs would carry him.

Jacen caught his son, just when Anakin stumbled over his own feet, and pulled him into his arms. While he still ruffled the little boy's reddish-brown hair, he already turned to Ben with a serious expression. "Why did you want to talk to me?"

Ben took the giggling Anakin from his Master, set him carefully on his own feet and sent him away to look after the cookies in the miniature bakery that filled the room with their sweet scent. The boy was barely out of view when he already gestured for Jacen to follow him. "I didn't notice it at first, just as Master Solusar and every other Jedi in here didn't. But when your son asked me where his favourite stuffed Ewok was, since he wanted to play with it, I sensed something was wrong, Master." He opened a door and entered a small dormitory.

Jacen followed him, frowning, and looked around. "I thought we didn't have enough room and had to enlarge the crèche? Why are there empty beds in here?", he finally asked.

"This is exactly the point, my Master", Ben answered and leaned against the wall with arms crossed in front of his chest. "I cannot remember these beds being occupied, ever, or who should have slept in them. But they _are_ empty, although we shouldn't have enough room. And during the last few days I've repeatedly been asked to find toys. Toys I can remember, though I cannot seem to find them, even with the aid of the Force." He looked up. "Master, beams and spare parts are not the only things vanishing."

"But children, too…" Jacen closed his eyes, horrified, and took a deep breath. "Ben, I'm calling a Council Meeting and I want you to attend. Be in the Council Chambers in within the hour."

With these words he turned on his heels and hurried out of the crèche, his comlink already in his hand.

_To be continued... _

* * *

Chapter Ten: **Really bad feelings**

The laws of biology make themselves independent, Corran and Luke somehow manage to get abducted, there are even more riddles, the first answers, a maelstrom in the Force and, most of all, really bad feelings…


	10. Really bad feelings

**PunkAss-Rocker-Chick**: Thanks!

* * *

**The third month**

Chapter Ten: Really bad feelings

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Infirmary_

Cilghal cocked her head slightly and took a closer look at the results of the last examination.

"What's wrong?", her charge, Kam Solusar, asked with just a hint of worry in his voice and tried to sit up.

Cilghal murmured something unintelligible and ordered 2-1B to repeat the test, while Kam finally managed to sit up completely. The Mon Calamarian gestured for him to lie back down. "It's not going to take long, Kam. Please be patient", she scolded the Jedi-Master, who studied her suspiciously.

"I know something's wrong with me, Cilghal", he stated. "I know it's serious. _And_ I know it wasn't there this morning."

The healer sighed. "Yes. That's the reason I've sent the droids to repeat the test", she replied, trying to calm him down, and took the verified results from the medical droid.

"Kam, this may be a very personal question, but I feel I have to ask: You don't have any memories concerning your childhood in the Jedi-Temple of the Old Republic, do you?"

"I don't remember anything", Kam replied without unease.

"But you do remember everything that happened after the Temple was attacked?" When the Jedi did not answer immediately, she specified, "Do you know if you've been exposed to large amounts of radiation, for example in a reactor accident?"

Kam exhaled slowly. "I have small gaps in my memory even after I left the Temple, but no, I don't know if something like that happened. Why do you ask?"

Had Cilghal been human, she would have chewed on her bottom lip before answering. "Your cells show mutations that could have been caused by exposure to radiance in your childhood or early adolescence."

He looked at her with big eyes but regained his control admirably fast. "Why do the symptoms show right now? And what can be done against them?"

"I'm going to have a medicament prepared that will fight the symptoms. The mutation is not really dangerous now that I've found it. To come back to your question… 2-1B has checked everything. You didn't have the mutation before today."

"I don't know much about medicine", Kam murmured, "but this should not be possible, should it?"

"No", Cilghal replied reluctantly. "It shouldn't be. I will inform Master Solo about this."

"About what?"

"Master Solo!"

Jacen stood in the doorway, arms crossed in front of his chest, and glowered at them. "The Council will hold an emergeny meeting in forty minutes", he informed them. "And I would be thankful if you didn't shut down your comlinks all the time", he added in a calm tone since he reminded himself that he spoke with two of his former teachers. "What did you want to tell me, Master Cilghal?"

°°°

_Coruscant, Senate_

The Jedi-Master's facial expression and appearance were controlled and calm. Even the most experienced politician could not guess his thoughts, not even his eyes betrayed him. But Corran knew that Luke Skywalker barely managed to keep his composure. On the inside, his thoughts raced… controlled anger burnt concerning the arrogant senators, there was worry about the riddles, about an escalation. He seemed to know something, had had a hunch perhaps, but feigned ignorance in front of the senate and calmed the politicians saying that he had assigned Jacen Solo to solve the mystery and that more and more information was being gathered.

In silence the two Jedi-Masters walked down a broad corridor, which led them towards the hangar where their vehicle waited for them. It was late at night, though policitians from all parts of the galaxy still roamed the building, flanked by bodyguards.

/Similar to Luke/ Corran thought with just a bit of cynism. /But if he had his will, he would be here on his own./ He pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders when they entered the dark and draughty hangar. /Why again do I bother? I would be so much easier to just… hu?/

He nearly knocked Luke over when the other suddenly stopped and frowned, cocking his head slightly.

"Corran", he whispered, too softly for anybody but the Corellian to hear, and gestured towards the shuttle. Corran noticed that he cloaked his presence and stepped back into a deep shadow. When he followed him, he also saw the dark shapes of two persons who were just tampering with something at the stern of the shuttle. The younger Jedi cursed silently. He should have been aware of them even before entering the hangar with Luke. Soft noises sounded through the hangar while they were working on the _Naboo II_ – certainly not to make positive modifications. Corran did a short probe and soon was quite sure that these two were no Dark Jedi and not Force-sensitive, either.

/And not even bright enough to assign a guard./

Corran decided that he had seen enough. He seized his comlink, informed the security centre of the senate building and demanded immediate action. Then he managed to get hold of Luke's arm and shoved him back into the corridor they had come from, ignoring his silent protests.

"I'm seeing to another vehicle. We have to go back to the Temple as fast as possible", the Corellian said grimly. Without giving Luke time to answer he added, "Others can take over the interrogation." But he himself practically itched to ask the men a thing or two, to find out who had sent them and what exactly they had been ordered to do.

Two minutes later, they entered a smaller, well lit hangar, where they were being shown to a comfortable glider.

"Thank you, Commander", Corran placated the over-enthusiastic officer, shoved Luke into the general direction of the ramp, ignored the annoyed glare he received and finally entered the vehicle himself. The pilot took off immediately. They left the hangar and entered the route towards the Jedi-Temple.

"I have a bad feeling about this", Luke commented, clearly uncomfortable.

"I would have, too, had I been at the receiving end of the umpteenth attack within such a short period of time", Corran grumbled bluntly.

"That's not what I'm talking about", came a soft answer.

Corran startled slightly and looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. Luke sat still, leaning against the window and looking out onto the lightened city. The tone of his voice had been strange when he had answered, as if he had been somehwere else with his thoughts. The older Jedi had merged in the Force and examined… what? An underlying note of danger. Luke frowned and continued gazing out of the window in concentration.

"We've left the usual route to the Temple", he whispered.

Corran looked puzzled for a second. He followed the others gaze, then looked up to the front, where the outline of the pilot was barely visible behind a darkened pane, and swore. He called upon the Force and tried to get an impression of the man's thoughts, but faltered when he encountered a stable, dark wall in the human's mind. Just as he was about to withdraw he felt Luke attempting the same, felt him patiently and carefully weaving his way through the wall before giving up.

"Somebody's knowing exactly what to do. It nearly seems as if the man's obsessed", he stated. "If I continued, I would do damage to his mind."

"If not, we're going to receive some damage. Most likely of the permanent kind", Corran replied. "I would just manipulate the controls", he added meaningfully.

Luke sighed and reached out towards the steering of the glider but stopped immediately. "Too late", he murmured and gestured to the window. At the very moment the vehicle landed, not exactly gentle, on a far-off platform, only to be surrounded by several Dark Jedi.

"I just don't believe this", Corran hissed, more angered with himself than with the attackers, and took his lightsabre. Luke did not answer but instead touched the push button to open the hatch before he leaned back abruptly to avoid two stun shots.

"Nice reception", he barely heard Corran comment when the other sprinted down the ramp, using the Force to enhance his speed. The Corellian caught several shots with his blade before he got involved in a duel with one of the Dark Jedi. Luke was about to follow him when suddenly the dark spirit left the pilot. The man collapsed at once, deathly pale, and thus prompted the Jedi-Master to stop and put him into a healing trance.

/They're not exactly good fighters, but we're outnumbered and heavily so/ he received a mental message from the younger Master a few minutes later. Corran had just fatally wounded a second Dark Jedi. Luke himself was fighting his fourth adversary; the other three lay on the ground, two of them unconcious, the third one dead.

/I'd be grateful for suggestions/ he sent back. /Somehow I don't think they want to negotiate./

/I admit I'm a bit surprised. Did you know the Dark Jedi were so strong in number?/ the Corellian asked, frustrated, lowered his sabre for a moment and sent his adversary, who was completely surprised by the physical blow into his face, to a far away dreamland.

/I suppose they have drawn together all of their forces to carry this plan through/ Luke answered thoughtfully, seemingly ingoring the chaos surrounding him.

A trace of guilt hit Corran. The words had not sounded accusing, but he nevertheless knew that he should have noticed this attack earlier on. Luke's gentle voice between his temples brought him back to reality, though. The Jedi-Master sent a wave of confidence and an image, a plan to flee.

/We're going to talk about this later, Corran. Concentrate and watch out for the Rodian behind you. On three./

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Council Chambers_

The brightly lit Council Chamber was eerily silent.

Some of the Council Members probably would have fidgeted in their armchairs restlessly, had they not been Jedi; no one dared to interrupt the silence for Jacen was, contrary to his usual nature, quite moody and harsh concerning inappropriate disruptions. Today, he counted everything among disruptions that did not help to solve their current problem. Since nobody had a solution, the Masters sat silently in their places apart from Kam Solusar, who had lowered himself onto the chair-back belonging to his wife, Tionne, putting an arm around the distraught woman. Her eyes were reddened and her face even paler than usual; when she had been informed that children who had been placed under her care in the crèche had vanished, she had been devastated.

Ben Skywalker stood a little to the side at a panel and worked through the tasks that Jacen had assigned to him. Mostly paper work, he noticed with carefully controlled resignation. He felt his admiration for his cousin rise when he saw the amount of work Jacen had to handle with strict organisation and a lot of overtime. Another part of his concentration he focused on the talks of the Council Members, or rather their non-talks at the moment.

Two unannounced visitors disrupted the tense atmosphere of the room. Ben noticed them flinching slightly when Jacen, who had come to his feet with a feline movement, looked at them sharply. "Jaina, Jagged, what is the meaning of this?"

Jacen's twin sister regained control immediately and nearly nobody noticed her short hesitation. "Forgive us for interrupting like this, Master Solo, but we think we've found another part of the puzzle. Simé found it, to be more exact, when she went to Master Skywalker's apartment a few minutes ago to fetch some datachips."

Mara looked up. "In our apartment? What did she find?", she asked and mentally went through a list of all things that could be in their living quarters.

Jagged Fel took half a step around his wife and, nodding politely, handed a fist-sized object to Jacen which was wrapped up in cloth. His brother-in-law pulled the soft material off.

"That's Corellian handcraft. It's a firelily", Kyle Katarn said into the stunned silence and stepped up next to Jacen to take a closer look at the carved crystal blossom. "They are not overly precious, although they're rare."

"Just a second", Tionne, the Jedi-Historian, murmured, shaking of her husband's arm and coming to stand next to them. "We probably should ask Corran to be sure, but I'm quite certain that the firelily was a symbol of the Corellian Jedi Order. And that owning such a crystal was a sign of their friendship."

"There's just one minor problem. The Corellian Jedi Order does not exist. – And so did this lily, until recently", Mara added with raised eyebrows.

"But we're certain that this is part of the puzzle, aren't we?", Kyle asked slowly.

Jacen turned, deep in thought, and sat down again. His gaze wandered from the blossom to the empty chair next to him where Master Skywalker normally sat. /I'm so close, Master/ he thought. /I can feel it. Just one more part and I will have solved this puzzle. But where could it be?/

°°°

_Coruscant, somewhere very deep down_

"I have a _really_ bad feeling about this", Corran murmured long minutes later and tried to get a bearing on his surroundings. "Master, do you know where we are?"

"Apart from the fact that we're somewhere on the lower levels of Coruscant? No. But we're moving away from the Temple", he added after shortly probing the Force, not overly happy about this. Their pursuers did not leave them much of a choice, though. Again he sent out his senses, more insistently this time, and hesitated for the fraction of a second.

"Master?", Corran immediately asked. He threw a gaze back over his shoulder and followed the other Jedi into a dark alley. "Something wrong?"

/Feel for yourself/ came a tense, absent answer.

Corran obeyed, even more worried than before, and it took him only seconds to identify what Luke meant. He felt something akin to a far, far away breeze, only it was a disturbance in the Force, directly in front of them.

/To me, it feels like a winter storm/ Luke muttered worriedly, not slowing his pace.

"Wouldn't it be wiser to…", the Corellian began but stopped when blaster shots hit the narrow walls and sparks rained down on the two Masters.

"I don't think turning around is an option right now", Luke stated and deflected further shots with his shimmering green blade, without turning or taking slower steps. "I don't like it… but I don't sense danger, either."

/Rather the opposite/ he added in a carefully shielded part of his mind and ran on, knowing that his partner would follow him without a second thought, no matter whereto. "We do not have a choice", he said emphatically. "I'd rather take this risk than… face the consequences of them catching us."

Corran pressed his lips together. He knew too well that the Master did not mean possible abduction when talking about consequences, but the means he would have to use to defend himself against the Dark Jedi. The Corellian concentrated on the disturbance, hoping to find out more about it, if it was a presence, a shifting, a memory…

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Council Chambers_

The Council Chambers were silent again, because although Jacen had reigned his temper a bit after their latest discovery, he still was exceptionally irritable. Kyle Katarn, the former merchant, had taken the firelily and studied it, mumbling something into his grey beard from time to time, pointedly ignoring Jacen's withering glares. Again, the silence was interrupted. This time Jacen did not jump up but looked genuinely surprised when the hectic bleeping and tooting of a certain astromech sounded from the anteroom. The doors opened and Artoo dashed into the room, crashed into one of the armchairs and trundled to the midst of the chairs before his optic sensor found Jacen. Sounds of every possible and impossible tone pitch filled the room.

"Ben?", Master Solo asked with a mixture of curiousity and resignation.

"Slow down, slow down, little one", his former Padawan calmed the small droid. Frowning heavily, he tried to make sense of the hectic sounds. "You've found a picture?", he asked after a while and received an affirmative tooting. "Among the remains of the Old Jedi's Archive… and what's so important about it? – We have to see for ourselves… then show, Artoo!" Artoo Detoo twittered again and then projected a picture into the middle of the room.

As a whole, the sight was not overly odd. It had been tradition during the days of the Old Republic – as it had been taken up by the New Jedi Order a while ago – to take holopictures of Masters and Padawans to add to the Archives. This particular picture showed a Jedi-Padawan with black hair, dressed in dark grey, who seemed proud and perhaps even a bit defiant. Directly behind him his Master stood, a rather short Jedi in floor-length robes, who looked into the lens with very bright, alarmingly intense eyes.

Jacen swallowed audibly. The last piece of the puzzle found its place. Next to him, Mara gasped, while he already had grabbed his comlink and selected a very well known frequency.

°°°

_Coruscant, still somewhere very deep down_

Luke shoved the ancient and rusty door in front of him viciously to free the way and felt Corran following him blindly into the absolute darkness behind it, a darkness so deep that the shine of two lightsabres barely pierced it. Even the insistant beeping of his comlink was swallowed.

He gasped for air. The disturbance in the Force hit him with the power of lightning and broke his concentration. He thought he heard Corran yell his name from somehwere far away, before darkness swallowed him.

_To be continued..._

* * *

Chapter Eleven: **One of those days again**

When you wake up and find yourself face to face with a long deceased, very short and distinctively green Jedi-Master, it is one of those days again…


	11. One of those days again

**PunkAss-Rocker-Chick:** That was the idea :) Glad it worked. I try to update quite regularly once a month, by the way.

**Namonaki Pharao**: Thank you! I'm really glad you like the twists and the characters since those are my main objectives when writing the story, more so than battles and duels, anyways… since I'm still struggling a bit with my English, the German version is a tad more complicated concerning language and style, for obvious reasons ;)

**Tsebehtsiellivllams**: Thank you!

**FantasyChick**: That was my reason for writing the story ;) Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

In case you're interested... I made a cover picture, which can be found on my homepage (Galerie/Titelbilder/Sand der Zeit).

* * *

**The third month**

Chapter Eleven: One of those days again

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Council Chambers_

"Master?" Yoda blinked and looked up. Mace Windu's dark eyes gazed down on him with slight worry. "A disturbance, Master?"

The little green Jedi Grandmaster shook his head. "A strange feeling, this is", he said slowly. "Faint it is, not the Dark Side of the Force it is, but in the wrong place nevertheless." He fixed Mace with his eyes. "Here in our Temple, it is."

Yoda looked around and favoured the other Council Members with a short gaze, before he brought his attention back to the two Jedi whom he had talked to ere the Force had diverted him.

"Our decision, later you will learn, Master Kenobi, Knight Skywalker", he stated forcefully and closed the meeting with these words just as a young Jedi brought a message from the infirmary.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Infirmary_

"They have been found at one of the back doors", the healer in charge, a vaguely human looking Jedi namend Fié Aent, reported. "Nobody knows where they came from or who they are. Minimal injuries, just scratches and slight burns."

"They've just… appeared?", Adi Gallia asked, frowning.

"More or less", Fié replied, sighed softly and put his scanner aside, all the while his gaze never left his patients. "Someone felt a strong… maelstrom in the Force. When he looked around the next corner, those two lay there on the ground. They should wake up every second now, Master" he spoke to Yoda and inclined his head respectfully.

The diminutive Jedi-Master nodded and studied the men with patient curiosity. He did not have to wait long; one of them just then stirred and opened his eyes. Fié was at his side immediately.

"Easy", he instructed and scanned his head. "Sit up slowly, I don't know how long you've been unconscious", he added and nodded friendly.

"Where… who…", Yoda heard the man mumble, before he lifted himself up, swung his legs off the bed and sat up without acknowledging Aent's dissapproval. His gaze stopped at Yoda.

"What the...", he gasped, shook his head, obviously shocked, and closed his eyes. Quickly.

"Are you okay?", the healer asked at once.

The unknown man took a deep, shaky breath. "Either I'm dreaming or it's one of those days again", he answered and opened his eyes again. "And somehow I don't think I'm dreaming."

Mace Windu stepped next to Yoda. "What is your name?", he demanded to know.

The foreigner looked at him, thought for a moment and seemed to recognise him then. "Corran Horn", he replied and inclined his head slightly while he stood.

He was not exactly tall, but had a compact physique and was dressed in dark brown robes as well as a cloak of the same colour. His hair, brown, long and shot through with silver, was bound back loosely. Yoda thought he saw fear flicker in his eyes when he noticed the unconscious man on the other bed. He was at his side in the fraction of a second.

"Luke?", he asked softly. The other gasped slightly and awoke. "Master Whitesun?", he enquired again, still quietly and clearly worried.

For a few minutes everything was silent.

"I'm all right, Corran", another voice replied finally. Its owner looked as if he was a bit older than Horn for his shorter, once probably dark blond hair was mostly silver and white, his face marked by fine scars and wrinkles. When Fié helped him up it became obvious that he was not very tall, either, and of a rather slender build.

"And who are you?", Adi asked. She looked as if nothing could surprise her anymore.

"Luke Whitesun", the other answered, paused for a moment in his sedentary stance and opened his eyes.

°°°

Corran found himself face to face with an unknown healer, which worried him a bit.

"Easy", the foreigner said, using the typical tone of a doctor. "Sit up slowly, I don't know how long you've been unconscious", the man added after he had finished his scan, and nodded.

/How long have I been unconscious/

He vaguely remembered sparks, the sound of metal ripping and the sight of a figure collapsing to the ground, a maelstrom in the Force, then darkness.

"Where… who…", he mumbled dazzlingly, studied the ceiling above him and the furniture of the room that he could see from the corners of his eyes, everything new and shining. Nevertheless – or perhaps exactly because of this – something pricked and prodded him, something he could not identify at once. His gaze found the healer's scanner.

Corran had to visit the infirmary quite frequently and therefore was well informed about the recent progress in medical equipment. He knew enough to see that the healer's scanner dated back to a time when his grandfather had lived, not the New Republican era. Suddenly he did not feel inclined to listen to the healer anymore and sat up swiftly.

The first thing he saw was a tiny green alien with big ears, dressed in the brown robes of a Jedi-Master.

"What the…", he gasped and surpressed the Corellian curse on this tongue. He did not hear the healer's question, closed his eyes instead and scanned rapidly through all possible explanations for what he had seen.

/Concussion? Drugs? Visions...? No, I know my luck.../

"Either I'm dreaming or it's one of those days again", he answered and opened his eyes again. "And somehow I don't think I'm dreaming", he added when Yoda still stood in front of him. Alive and bearing a rather suspicious expression, mind you. A human looking, dark skinned Jedi-Master had stepped up next to him and gave him a glare that rivaled Luke's.

"What is your name?"

Corran appraised him shortly and searched his memory for the recordings of the Old Republic.

/Mace Windu. Why am I not surprised/

"Corran Horn", he replied truthfully, since the name Horn had been his identity for the better part of his life, even if he went by Halcyon right know – again. Cautiously he sent a gentle suggestion of honesty, just to be sure.

When he finally managed to tear his gaze away from Windu, he noticed something else, something that was almost more unsettling than the presence of two dead Jedi-Masters.

"Luke?"

Slight panic rose in him as he gazed down on Luke's expressionless face a second later, searching for a reaction. /The name Skywalker is out of question./ The thought shot through his head, accompanied by several theories what, by all Corellian hells, was just happening.

His voice seemed to have pulled Luke out of the unconsciousness for he took a deep breath and the veil in front of his mind thinned slowly.

"Master Whitesun?", Corran asked again, having picked the first name that came to his mind. /We have a big, big problem/ he sent a mental message.

/Hmm/ a sleepy reply came back.

/Stretch out with your Force senses, please, and tell me I'm not hallucinating/ Corran pleaded and grabbed Luke's shoulder, just in case. Contrary to his expectations, the other Jedi did not try to jump up when he understood the meaning of Corran's words.

/If it is a hallucination, I have it, too/ he answered tensely. /You felt the maelstrom, too, when 'it' happened, didn't you/

/Yes. Then you really think…/ Corran halted when Luke dove into the Force to search for answers.

/Nothing is impossible with the Force…/ the older Jedi finally sent. /It may be improbable, but I sense nothing that leads to another conclusion./

/Me neither. Luke, that's… what are we going to _do_/

The Corellian could feel that the older Jedi forced himself through several calming techniques with mental violence before he answered, unnaturally calm. /We will see./

/I expected you to say that. How do you feel/

"I'm fine, Corran", he answered softly and allowed a suddenly appearing healer to help him sit up, because although he was not in pain, his head spun a bit und the slight nagging on his mental shields did not help much, either.

He had to let the feeling sink in for a moment, before he realised that it was Yoda's presence that bumped against his shields lightly, unconsciously – the bond between him and his former Master was strong, even though Yoda did not know him yet – should his unspeakable assumption prove to be correct. The other persons were surrounded by a similar atmosphere of power and authority that, as a whole, threatened to take his breath. He strengthened his mental shields just enough to not appear to hide anything and let the Force calm his senses.

"And who are you?", he heard a female voice ask.

"Luke Whitesun", he replied after he remembered just in time and not without a mental shove from Corran which name the Corellian had addressed him with before. After he concentrated on identifying himself with the name as to not arouse any suspicion, he finally believed to be able to open his eyes despite the dizziness. His gaze took in Yoda, Windu and the woman who had spoken.

/Adi Gallia/ he mused.

/Probably, yes/ the assent came.

Nodding thankfully to Corran, he stood up. Quickly he inspected his surroundings, found the old equipment, just like his friend had, and finally forced himself to look at Yoda. He sincerely hoped that his old Master was not able to look past the deceit; he was not completely sure, though.

"Master", Luke greeted with forced calm and bowed slightly.

Yoda nodded and appraised the foreigner. "Not know you, I do. Not recognise your name, I do. Where come from, you do?"

Corran and Luke exchanged a glance.

/Do you seriously want to tell him that we've _time-travelled_/

/That's the general idea./

/Always assuming we've really time-travelled and this isn't some big… hallucination, vision, anything, just _not_ a time travel./

/You don't like the idea, do you, Corran/

A mental snort answered Luke. /Do you? I don't even want to think about the catastrophe we could cause…/

/We can talk about that later. I will tell him the truth/ Luke stated resolutely.

/It's dangerous/ the Corellian muttered. /What about a nice little story…/

/Dangerous, yes. But do you really think we could lie to Yoda, of all beings? A change of name will not be noticed, but entirely fictional lifestories? No, that would not work. If this really is a time travel, there has been a reason for it to happen, a reason I want to find before we jump to conclusions/ Luke considered. /The more we tell them, the less they'll ask/ he added.

He felt that Corran was not convinced, but chose to ignore him.

"The question, Master, is not where, but when", he slowly replied and felt Corran nodding gloomily. "It seems as if we're sixty to seventy years in the past from our point of view", he carefully estimated. He was aware of his father's and Obi-Wan's presences a short distance away but could not say how old Anakin Skywalker was. To guess Yoda's age was even less productive.

"What happened?", Windu asked, not without suspicion.

Corran growled. "We were returning to the Temple from a meeting in the Senate and ran into a little problem with Dark Jedi, which led us down to Coruscant's lower levels. Somewhere in the darkness we felt a disturbance in the Force, but couldn't feel any danger and had no chance to turn around, anyway." He paused. "I remember a maelstrom in the Force, then Master Whitesun collapsing… that's it."

Luke nodded confirmatively and frowned, deep in concentration, but was not able to remember further details.

"You've been found at the back door on the lowest level of the Temple, unconscious", Fié Aent explained thoughtfully. "Corran Horn and Luke Whitesun, right?", he then asked and fiddled with a datapad. "I assume you hold the position of a Master." Although it was formulated as a statement, he sounded questioning. "In your time", Fié added when he noticed the frowns on the faces of the Council Members.

"Yes", Corran responded neutrally, but Luke heard him snorting in his mind.

"Necessary formalities, you have to understand." Fié studied the two of them yet again. "Master Whitesun, I insist that you lay back down or at least take a seat", he advised when he noticed Luke's pale face and the amount of Force use he relied on to remain upright and controlled.

Corran grasped his arm gently and led him back to the bed where he had awoken earlier on. Luke's last steps were wavering noticeably. His Force presence lost substance, as if it tried to get back into its own time.

While Corran lowered him carefully onto the bed, Fié was busy with his scanners.

"He's losing consciousness again…", he mumbled, worried about the shifting in the Force, and waved his assistant over.

"Luke?", Corran whispered and touched the other's senses with his own. /What is happening to you/

/I'm not sure/ came a weak reply. /But… Corran…/

"Master!"

Luke scratched together some last strands of consciousness to formulate a though. /I have a feeling… let me rest in the Force, it will be all right…/

The Corellian sighed, not entirely relieved, and squeezed Luke's hand. "He is fine. At least he believes that."

"Did Master Whitesun show health problems before your…" Aent hesitated. "… time travel?"

"Apart from the usual?", Corran asked wryly.

"Excessive labour and lack of sleep?"

"What else? No, I don't think so. On the other hand... we did not see each other often during the last few weeks", he answered with carefully controlled words that did not let his own tiredness show.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Whitesun Apartment_

"The fact that we've received quarters is not a good sign in my opinion. The Council does not seem to know how we're going to get back home", Corran remarked a day cycle later after Luke had finally awoken and got over the initial desorientation. "And I'm quite sure by now that this is _not_ a vision and not a hallucination, either", he added.

Luke allowed the other to help him up and followed him into the small living room in silence. His cloak lay there, dropped over a chair-back, next to different piles of clothing he had received from the Temple's Administration.

While Corran plopped down on the couch, he strolled over to the front of windows and looked out onto the nightly Coruscant, which was different from the one he knew, but familiar nonetheless.

A few minutes later the Corellian sighed. "Master Sky… _Whitesun_, I know Yoda was your Master and the respect you want to pay him. But that does not change anything."

"What are you getting at?", Luke asked in a soft tone, which showed clearly that he exactly knew where this talk would end up.

Corran snorted. "You know me. _I_ know myself. I don't know how to act around a Council that doesn't recognise a Sith Lord operating directly in front of their noses."

Luke did not move, but a warning crackled in the Force. "You are not going to tell them. You are not going to tell them anything that might change the future permanently."

Despite the tiredness of the older Jedi's voice, Corran caught an underlying tone which told him that it would be a very bad idea to contradict right now.

"As you wish", he complied. "May I ask why?"

"You may. But not tonight, because it's a long explanation I'm going to give. Have to give."

/Not that it will help us. And the next time I can live without being pulled into Light's Last Home forcefully, too/ he thought and grimaced. /If Ulic tries that again _one_ more time…/

_To be continued…

* * *

_

Chapter Twelve: **Many Meetings**

Wrong time, wrong Order, the wrong questions and aside from that – what now?

* * *

If you cannot find the cover picture, just contact me via mail or ICQ and I will send you a direct link.

Please review and thank you for reading.


	12. Many Meetings

**Sofyen:** You've made me blush, really. Thank you so much!

**Beautiful-Dead-Girl **and **buffalo1fromSalem** Thanks!

**Tsebehtsiellivllams:** Sorry, the story's already married to me ;)

**Tombadgerlock:** Glad you liked it despite being heavily AU :) I've only read four or five of the books, two of them from the _New Jedi Order_ series, due to the fact that most of them haven't been released in Germany yet. Even if they were, I probably wouldn't read them, though… I really don't like them – fanfiction is my best friend :D

**Zarz:** Thank you! Ah, there's going to be a lot of explaining, but only in nice little bits. I'm nearly finished with the story (currently writing chapter thirty-something) and it's really difficult to weave in the pieces of information in a way that will result in one big, reasoned picture… it's quite a challenge, but I love it and I'm doing my best :)

**Tom Robinson:** Thanks!

* * *

**The third month**

Chapter Twelve: Many Meetings

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Whitesun Apartment _

Slowly Corran sipped his caf and glanced at the chrono with mixed feelings. In two hours, he and Luke were to appear in front of the High Council, given that Luke was well enough.

"Apart from the fact that you should work less and sleep more, which you probably have been told already, you seem to be fine again", Fié Aent declared, his disapproval clearly showing. He was not thrilled to submit a patient who just yesterday had collapsed to the Council's interrogation.

Luke gently touched his arm. "I'm fine, Fié. Thank you."

The healer grunted an affirmation, though not completely convinced, nodded to Corran and vanished from the quarters that had been assigned to Luke.

"You're pale, Master."

"I'm fine, Corran, honestly." Luke leaned back in his armchair.

"Then I hope you'll manage to tell me everything you wanted to explain within the next hour", the Corellian interrupted the silence shortly after.

"I do think so." Luke remained silent, though.

"I've been wondering", Corran mumbled some time later, "about what's going to happen now. Will we stay here in the Temple? If so, how are we going to act? I mean… our views, our Code, differ quite strongly from the current ones in some aspects."

Luke started. "I'm not worried all too much about this and yes, I do think we should stay here in the Temple. Just act normally…" He hesitated. "On second thought, don't act your normal self."

"I don't plan to offend anyone too seriously", Corran replied slyly. He paused. "You know what I mean, Luke."

The other closed his eyes. "Yes, yes, that I do. But, Corran, I don't think anyone will notice that we're working based on a different Code. Keep silent, should someone ask you about it. We don't need a debate on principles", he instructed the Corellian, who in turn nodded and studied Luke.

"Master", he began, "Just in case you didn't notice – _we've travelled through time_. What, by the Force, are we going to do? Why do you think we should stay here in the Temple?", he asked, insistently demanding an explanation.

Again, there was a silence, which lasted so long it seemed to scream in his ears.

"We cannot change the future", the Master finally said. "History finds its way, no matter what we do."

"You cannot tell me we could do whatever we wanted without changing anything! What about telling them Sidious' identity? What about…"

"Of course this would change the future", Luke sharply interrupted. „For the better though? Can you foresee it, Corran? The sand of time flows like a river – down the riverbed it's always been flowing. If you tried to redirect it, you couldn't forecast the channel it would seek. If you tried to change anything, you'd have both Time and Force against you since they want to stay exactly the way they are." He stopped and took a deep breath. "The rise of the Empire may have been one of the greatest catastrophes in our history, Master Horn, but _Sidious_ did fall and we are still alive. _The Jedi are still alive_. I think that, given the circumstances, it was the best we could have hoped for. I think we only could make it worse."

He held again and waited until he saw unwilling understanding in Corran's eyes. "I do think, though, that we're able to change something without endangering our future, Corran. Details that cannot change the major picture…"

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Council Chambers_

With mixed feelings Yoda watched the reluctant visitors from the future entering the Council Chambers.

Corran Horn, the younger one, seemed to be in strict control, though thoughtful; Luke Whitesun still was quite pale and obviously exhausted, but he radiated the serenity of a Jedi who was completely in tune with the Force. Both acted respectfully but rather placidly. After exchanging some formalities, Mace Windu asked the question that secretly had occupied the Council for the last few hours.

„You mentioned Dark Jedi, Master Horn", he stated and waited for the Jedi-Master to nod before he continued. "Sith?"

"No", Corran immediately answered and then grew quiet. He glanced at Luke out of the corners of his eyes and only carried on after the other had nodded slightly. "There haven't been any Sith for nearly fifty years."

The Chamber was silent for one moment while all eyes rested on him.

"Then the prophecy has been fullfilled", Windu finally declared with a glance at Yoda, who studied Luke Whitesun thoughtfully.

Corran nodded again; worriedly he noticed that Luke had strengthened his mental shields slightly to intercept a wave of old pain. Nevertheless he added, "Anakin Skywalker defeated the last Sith Lord, the Master, and died of his injuries shortly after."

There was soft dismay on their faces, but subtle relief, too.

"What happened to the Apprentice?", Shaak Ti asked, clearly interested.

"Master Whitesun had already taken care of him at that time", Corran replied with a satisfaction Luke could not quite share.

"Nearly fifty years ago? You must have been very young back then, Master Whitesun", the female Jedi-Master observed with a frown.

"Indeed", Luke answered and sent Corran a warning glare. His facial features had hardened nearly invisibly, but Shaak Ti noticed and did not ask further, although she seemed curious in a very reserved way.

"Hmm." Yoda straightened up a little, his gaze still appraisingly on Luke Whitesun. "An idea you have, why happen this time-travel did?"

Luke did not answer immediately. "No", he then replied with finality. "Not yet."

/You don't think this might be connected to the attacks? Or to our beloved riddle?/ Corran enquired, a little surprised.

/To our riddle – perhaps. To the attacks – no, at least not directly/ one very sure answer came back.

"Hmm. Dangerous, this is. Not lightly, we should take this situation", Yoda changed the subject.

"You expected Yoda to say something like this, didn't you, Luke?", Corran later asked when they walked through the ante-room to return to their quarters.

The other nodded thankfully when the Corellian supportingly gripped his arm and lead him into the lift. "Yes, I'm not surprised and I agree with him completely."

"I'll have to think about it again", Corran mused and keyed in their floor. "But probably it's really better for us to stay here in the Temple. If we have to look out for the slightest shifting in the Force we won't be able to survive out there for more than five minutes. Not that I hope to stay long."

"We'll have to stay as long as the Force wills it. I assume we'll return once we've found the reason for our journey."

"Makes sense", Corran agreed. He leaned against the back wall of the lift. "I'll escort you back to your apartment; you should rest for a few hours, Luke. I'll wake you when it's dinner time."

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Meditation Garden_

Later that evening, Luke wandered through the emptying hallways of the Temple. Corran had departed a few minutes ago, wanting to take a look at the main hangar to get familiar with the old ships – "Just in case" – after the two had discussed some minor details and made several decisions concerning their stay in this time.

Meanwhile, Luke wanted to get a general overview of the Temple; he already had been to the Archives and the Training Gyms. Now, he stepped out of an archway into a small garden that was used for meditation and was located right next to the crèche where the littlest of the future Jedi-Knights lived. He had never liked the idea of toddlers being brought to the Temple, and being confronted directly with this concept did not change his view on things in the slightest. Luke always insisted on only permitting children aged ten, eleven or older; younger ones were only taken in if they were orphans or not wanted by their parents. But here…

He sighed softly, took a deep breath, let himself sink deeply into the Force and searched for serenity, for peace. It was difficult since worry hung above the Temple like a darkening veil, the menace of the Sith was omnipresent. It hurt, hurt terribly to know who the Lord of the Sith was and what would happen but not being able to change anything.

Suddenly he grinned with the unmistakable feeling that this journey only had been possible because he knew this, because he knew history could not be changed. It did not get any easier knowing this, though. But then, nobody had claimed it would.

He pushed this thoughts aside quickly.

A soft, nearly inaudible sob broke through the silence of the young night. Luke cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?", he murmured and let himself sink down onto the ground next to a small figure. Two big, pearlescent eyes watched him suspiciously through a veil of white-blond hair; one little head reluctantly nodded. "The sky is very clear tonight… one can see more stars than usual", Luke added. He held out his hand to the little girl, perhaps four or five years old. "You don't know me, do you? I'm Luke."

Big eyes looked at the hand, wandered up the arm towards the friendly face of the old Jedi-Master.

"Siljia", the child softly whispered its own name.

"Are you cold?", he asked and carefully took hold of one trembling white hand. "Why aren't you sleeping?" Cautiously he sent peace and warmth into the child's frightened mind.

The girl shook her head frantically. "No, don't want to sleep." Her voice was high and shrill, at the same time soft, as if Siljia feared to be heard. Luke silently waited, long minutes, and finally sent a gentle prompt into her subconscious, all the while uneasily thinking he already might know why she could not sleep.

"I don't want to dream. The Temple's burning…", the girl finally whispered.

Inwardly Luke sighed, having prayed in secret for his hunch to be wrong. Just for one moment he was tempted to tell her that dreams sometimes were just that – dreams. In this case it would have been a blatant lie, though, since those clearly were visions, visions no child should have to deal with.

"Did you tell anyone?"

"Don't believe me…" Siljia was shaken by another sob.

Luke frowned heavily while pulling the girl into his arms and trying to calm her down. He could not imagine Master Yoda ignoring a vision like that, especially since his old Master was a seer himself. On the other hand… probably the Master did not even know about it, probably the Jedi-Knights who supervised the crèche thought them to be nightmares.

/If only they didn't./

Carrying Siljia safely in his arms, the Jedi-Master carefully stood up and wandered back into the interior of the Temple slowly. He did not get very far; soon steps sounded in front of him and a figure in a dark cloak turned a corner.

"Excuse me, have you… Siljia!"

"Quiet", Luke immediately replied, very softly. „She just fell asleep."

"I've searched for her everywhere, but her presence is so weak… come this way, please."

In silence they walked to one of the dormitories and laid Siljia down in her own bed. Luke felt the other's gaze on him as he pulled the covers over her and sent a bit of his own confidence to her one last time, but they did not say a word until they both were back in the corridor.

Then the figure pulled back its hood and emerged as a human Jedi-Master, surely a decade older than Luke himself. He was smiling. "I don't think we've been introduced yet", he softly commented.

"No. I'm Luke Whitesun", Luke introduced himself and inclined his head slightly.

"San-Kai", the older reciprocated the gesture. "I'm quite thankful you've found Siljia. The youths and I have been searching for her for some time, but she's very good at hiding."

San-Kai studied the man in front of him and felt something happening to him, something that had not occurred in quite some time: He grew nervous under the steady, piercing and very cool stare of Whitesun.

"Did you know she's had visions?"

"Visions? That's new to me", San-Kai replied, surprised.

Luke frowned slightly. "She seemed to be completely haggard because of this. She said no one believed her."

San-Kai snorted. "Those incompetent…", he begann but got a grip on himself almost immediately. "Pardon me, please. Patience is not always one of my virtues and certain people don't contribute in that regard."

His counterpart suddenly smiled. "Same applies to me."

He found himself grinning back involuntarily. The intense gaze had vanished, warmth spread in him instead and the nightly corridor suddenly seemed a bit less dark. He wondered if it was normal for human eyes to shine like this.

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Archives_

‚Assumptions state that the Eternal Council is an equivalent to the High Council of the Jedi that exists on another plain of existence. Aforementioned can be reached by Jedi and similarly trained Force-sensitive beings after their physical death. It is not known which criteria are applied to select the Council Members. Information on afterlife and the Eternal Council is speculative at the best. Rare untimely crossings which are caused by the Will of the Force are the only sources.'

Luke closed the file and leaned back. After an extensive search he finally had found a file in the Archives of the Jedi-Temple that held information on the Last Home and Eternal Council. He had been surprised at how much had seeped through during the years, although leaps and similar occurences rarely connected both levels of existence. He did not know the reason why, but it worried him.

The complete silence was disrupted by the sound of cloth wandering over the ground shortly before the female Jedi-Master Shaak Ti appeared between the long, high shelves. She seemed a bit surprised to find someone here at an hour this late, but nodded to Luke in a means of greeting. While he rose and returned the gesture, he clearly felt another presence advancing.

"Luke!" Corran stepped out of a shadow and marched over to him. "Which part of 'Work less and sleep more' didn't you understand, Master?", he asked grumpingly, not really jesting.

"Corran…"

"Do I _have_ to remind you of that incident when the Council decided to keep you in the infirmary by force? Aent surely wouldn't say no should I take that idea to him", the Corellian interrupted and shut of the terminal without taking a single look at the screen.

Shaak Ti seemed mildly put off and looked back and forth between them, consternated by the harsh tone. "I wasn't aware that you're in ill health."

"I'm not", Luke defended himself, chuckling. "But if Corran disagrees, I don't have much of a choice. Goodnight, Master Shaak Ti."

A few minutes later he slightly smiled to himself when he noticed Corran glancing at him from the side for the fifth time.

"I'm on the way to my quarters and I won't collapse the next few metres. What's the matter, Master Horn?", he asked, amused.

The Corellian was not the person to beat around the bush and he knew that Luke valued directness. "Did I anger you?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

Corran made an undefinable noise. "I didn't want to compromise you in front of Shaak Ti. I'm just worried."

The other shrugged slightly and smiled. "Don't think about it."

"I'm serious, Master."

"And I'm serious when I'm telling you that I don't mind, my friend. Not at all." Luke grinned broadly. "You know me."

The younger Jedi grimaced. "Indeed. I do remember a situation, though, when you were indignant over someone just thinking something wrong."

Luke shrugged. "That was something entirely different, Corran."

"Granted. It was stupid and very, very disrespectful towards you and Jacen." Corran gave a lop-sided grin. "My comment was just disrespectful, while still having a decent background."

Luke sighed. "Now you're teasing me."

"That's the proper punishment for having to baby-sit you."

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: **Back to Work**

As exciting as it may be – sometimes even two Jedi-Masters get bored. And there's work enough for everyone.

* * *

I'm sorry for the delay; for some reason I've started struggling with the finer aspects of the English language a bit… I hope I've found all the mistakes. Oh well. 

Thank you for reading and reviews would be very much appreciated (i.e. cuddled and provided with cookies) since I'm a bit unmotivated at the moment.


	13. Back to work

**Sofyen:** Oh, online translators are fun, aren't they? Well, I'll try to get the translations done a bit faster again nevertheless :) Many thanks for the review!

**Namonaki Pharao:** Yeah, cookies :P Thank you! And sorry for the delay :(

**Honor Skywalker:** Thank you so much! Yeah, I figured there aren't enough stories with an older Luke going back in time… well, that's why I started to write one :) And I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes it :P

**Pisces:** Thanks!

* * *

**The fourth month**

Chapter Thirteen: Back to work

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Horn Apartment_

Corran allowed himself fifteen minutes of homesickness each morning before he shoved away the thoughts of his families and friends back home in his own time and concentrated on whatever lay ahead of him. Today, it was a breakfast with Luke.

He was just about to put a can of hot chocolate on the table when a knock sounded from the already opened door and Luke strolled in, his figure relaxed and his face content. Corran studied him with a smile.

"Luke, I haven't seen you this well rested and liberated for years", he stated that which he had noted days ago already.

"I think my current mood could be called 'cultivated boredom'", the elder Jedi replied and seated himself. "I take this as a compliment, though."

"You should."

While Corran already was sipping the final rest of his caf, waiting for Luke to finish eating, the short conversation from earlier would not leave him alone anymore.

"Cultivated boredom fits our situation quite nicely, Luke. Do you think we should ask the Council to assign some kind of… task to us?", he finally asked.

"Why not? As long as we don't leave the Temple or at least not Coruscant, we shouldn't cause any problems", Luke replied after thinking carefully. "What are you thinking of, exactly?"

The Corellian shrugged and started to collect the dirty dishes.

"Give me a ship to fly or repair and I'm happy. What about you?"

"Hmm. I don't have any specific wishes. Could you take care of this? Fié is adamant to check me over once more and I don't want to be late."

"Of course, I'm bound to run into a member of the Council sooner or later. Aent is going to be very satisfied with your progress, Master", Corran grinned.

"I certainly hope so." Luke had another thought. "While you're at it you could ask how… much of a secret the circumstances of our arrival here are meant to be. Once we stop spending the days in our quarters questions will arise."

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Council Chambers_

„Corran Horn has approached me this morning with a request, also in the name of Master Whitesun. Both of them feel that they will be stuck here in this time for a while and they would be happy to be assigned tasks", Master Shaak Ti said to Master Yoda after the more important issues had been addressed by the Council.

"Agree with them I have to", the little green Jedi replied after thinking for a few seconds, albeit not overly enthusiastic. "No betrayal I can feel in them. Strong in the Force they are, especially Whitesun."

"They didn't ask for missions or Padawans", Shaak Ti continued. "They want to stay here in the Temple if possible. Master Horn says he's a decent mechanic and pilot. Master Whitesun doesn't have any preferences, but Master Horn told me he'd certainly feel comfortable with the children in the crèche."

"I still don't trust them completely", Master Windu stated. "We hardly know a thing about them, which may admittedly be better that way, but if Horn and Whitesun really want to stay here in the Temple…"

"A choice they don't have. Return they will when the will of the Force it is."

"… they should be supervised until we can be certain about them. We cannot take a risk; our ships have to be fully functional and it's self-evident that the children shouldn't be exposed to harmful influences."

"Additionally they'd like to know if their origins should stay a secret within the Order since they're not listed in our database and questions are bound to arise", the female Master added.

"Honesty, the best way it is. Distrust, into existence it could come otherwise. Dangerous this would be", Yoda immediately stated in a tone that left no room for arguments when he saw the doubting faces of some of the other Masters. "Tell them this, you can, Master Shaak Ti. Master Whitesun, know he will how far they can go."

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Crèche_

After the Council Meeting was over Shaak Ti immediately started to search for Luke Whitesun and Corran Horn to tell them about the Council's decisions. For the first time she noticed that she could hardly find their Force-presences; especially Luke Whitesun's signature was curiously veiled so that she could not fix his position. Intrigued by the situation she managed to narrow down his possible location to one training ground and the crèche. Following a light hunch she tried her luck with the latter and could not surpress a tiny smile finding its way onto her face in view of the sight she found.

Whitesun sat on a bench in the little garden of the créche and around him, on the ground and on the bench, about a dozen children of different races sat, their eyes shining, listening enrapturedly and obviously being completely fascinated by the mysterious stranger. Luke finished his narration with a chuckle and the little ones giggled softly.

At this very moment Shaak Ti heard steps behind her and turned around. Master San-Kai, the leader of the crèche, looked at her with his friendly dark eyes and gave her a respectful not ere he stepped past her into the inner court. She followed him slowly.

Luke Whitesun looked up.

"I'm afraid we have to call this to an end now", he told the children and stood up. "Master San-Kai", he greeted.

"Master Whitesun", the older Jedi replied and bowed slightly. "I have a request… could you look after Siljia? She asked for you."

"If I'm allowed to", Luke said with an elegant nod towards Shaak Ti's direction and bowed to her.

"I've talked to the Council", she explained. "The Masters have agreed with your proposals; you could, if Master San-Kai", she nodded into his direction, "gives his approval, work here in the crèche with the little ones under the condition that Master San-Kai is going to supervise you, at least at the beginning." She hesitated and looked at San-Kai, who in turn glanced at Luke with a smile and nodded.

"I'd be glad."

Luke inclined his head. "Thanks." Another thought came to him. "I assume the same conditions apply to Corran? – I'd like to tell him myself. He can be quite… impulsive", he carefully formulated. "And he doesn't like to be supervised, but he's going to accept it of course."

Shaak Ti nodded. "Bocca Rej, one of our best pilots, has been assigned to him. He is recovering from a number of light injuries right now and isn't allowed to fly…"

"… and more than likely less than pleased about it", Whitesun added with a knowing smile. "If you'd excuse me now…"

"Of course, Master Whitesun."

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Crèche_

"Siljia?", Luke asked softly from the door frame and waited until the child had moved slightly before he entered the room. The little dorm room was empty, the other younglings took their lessons or played in the gardens, but the little girl had refused to leave her bed today.

Luke strolled through the room and lowered himself onto the edge of her bed.

"You know, if you don't get up now, you're not going to be able to sleep tonight."

She flinched slightly. "Don't wanna sleep", she mumbled into her pillow.

"Yes, you do", Luke answered softly. "You don't want to dream, though."

He was silent for a moment and then stood up.

"Come. We're going to take a walk."

"I don't want to."

"Oh yes, you do, Siljia. You just don't want to dream, but do you think the dreams won't come if you lie here in your bed the whole day long? Do you think they're going to vanish this way?", the old Master asked gently. "Come with me."

Silja did not react, but Luke knew that she listened – otherwise she would not have asked for him.

Siljia sniffled softly and raised her head from the pillow. She studied Luke suspiciously and in search for help at the same time, out of watery eyes, before she sat up slowly. The Jedi-Master offered her both of his hands and patiently waited until she had grabbed them to pull her onto her own feet zestfully.

He had asked Master San-Kai which corners of the garden were not visited very frequently and now led Siljia there. However, once they had arrived between the high trees, he let her take the lead. None of them spoke a word for quite some time.

The little girl had reached the end of the garden, leaned her back against the wall behind which the meditation room of the younglings was located and let herself sink to the ground. She took a withered leaf and started to tear it apart.

Luke watched her shortly, then sat down next to her, crossing his legs.

Completely concentrated on her work, Siljia dissected the leaf, carefully avoiding to damage the bigger veins, until finally she held the skeleton of the leaf against the light and watched the scattered shadow it cast.

"Visions, not dreams."

"Yes."

She let the leaf tumble to the ground and looked up to the old Master, fear in her pearl eyes.

"You believe me?"

"That I do."

She pressed her lips together and thought hard. Luke had a hunch about the nature of the questions that confused her small head – he knew that they were too numerous for her childlike mind and just waited for her to repress them.

"I don't want to sleep."

"You don't want to dream", he corrected gently. "There's a difference."

°°°

_Coruscant, Jedi-Temple, Crèche_

It was well into the night when Luke finally shut off the last datapad and settled back in his chair. With one gulp he emptied the cup of formerly hot chocolate which he had placed on a corner of his desk long hours ago, resisted the urge to grimace and mentally prepared himself for another confrontation with Corran about working at such late hours.

On the edges of his consciousness he noticed someone drawing nearer to the cosy small office which he was going to share with Master San-Kai from now on, and after a few seconds he identified said old Jedi.

"Good evening."

"You too, Master San-Kai."

The head of the crèche sat down behind his desk.

"I've just come back from the dorm rooms and couldn't help noticing that Siljia seems to be sleeping quite serenely", he said and looked at Luke, one eyebrow raised.

The other moved his head non-committally.

"That I hoped. When we talked this morning I gave her mind a small… defence, so to speak, which should last for one or two days", he explained, carefully avoiding to sound as if he was defending himself against the statement.

"Interesting." San-Kai studied him openly. "I've had this idea myself but usually a protection like this needs to be supervised and held up."

"Not the one I gave her", Luke told with a small smile. "That's why it isn't going to last very long."

The old Master seemed interested, but just nodded and answered, "I've talked to the teachers of Higher Mind Control. They agreed to teach Siljia in their classes with the older ones to bring her mental shields up to a level that will keep the dreams in check."

Luke nodded and looked at the other sharply.

"Tell me, Master San-Kai – I've been working here for less than a day and already you are including me in the most important aspects of the crèche." He gestured to the datapads which did not contain little tasks as he had exspected, the ones meant for Padawans and substitutes, but essential assignments that kept the crèche running, important decisions about the work with the children, things he would not have trusted a stranger with that readily.

The older Jedi shrugged slightly.

"I've had tougher decisions to make. I've learned over the years to trust in what my feelings tell me. And they told me that you are trustworthy, Master Whitesun. Additionally, it's hard to overlook how much you love children." He paused. "I've been informed about the circumstances of your presence here by Master Windu. May I ask which tasks you perform in your time?"

Luke hesitated for a moment ere he answered, waiting for a sign of the Force. Silence was all that answered him, though.

"I'm a senior member of the Council", he truthfully answered. "Apart from that I take part in many different tasks, ranging from representing the order in the Senate to important missions to teaching the first lessons to the youngest and the most difficult ones to the oldest."

San-Kai smiled. "I'm relieved to hear this."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Not only because it's going to make working with me easier."

"Not only that, but also because it proves my intuition right."

The two Masters chuckled softly and fell into companionable silence afterwards.

The silence did not last long, though, for there was a knock at the door a few minutes later.

"Come in", San-Kai said, obviously confused by whoever had decided to visit them at such a late hour… and by Luke's knowing smile.

Corran stuck his head into the room. "Good evening", he greeted and combed through his slightly messy hair with one hand in senseless attempt to put the strands back into place before he entered.

„Master San-Kai, I assume?", the Corellian asked and scetched a bow after receiving a nod. "I'm Corran Horn." He grimaced and gestured to Luke. "His nanny." A quick glance assured him that Luke grinned and therefore had not taken the personal joke the wrong way. "And as sorry as I am, I have to make sure that Master Whitesun gets his rest, otherwise Healer Aent is going to devour me alive."

"We're done here anyway, Corran", Luke gently calmed him, turned off the lamp of his desk and stood up. "Good night, Master San-Kai."

°°°

In comfortable silence the two Jedi walked through the dark corridors of the Temple until they had left the dormitories of the crèche behind.

"You're giving me the impression that you like your new job quite a lot", Luke commented, his voice low, and studied Corran out of the corners of his eyes.

The Corellian frowned slightly. "Yes, definitely. According to his file Rej is a decent pilot, if not a bit grumpy."

"You would be, too, had they forbidden you to fly."

"Most likely. Is it that obvious I'm happy to have job again?"

"One way or the other. There's a trail of oil on your face."

_To be continued…_

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: **Philosophy**

Windu and Horn. Two orders, two Codes… come to think of it, Luke should have known.

* * *

As unbelievable as it may sound, I'm still alive, though not exactly the kickin' kind at the moment. Anyways, unless university studies start to go bonkers _again_, I'll probably manage to update more reguglarly again from now on. That's what I hope, at least.

If anyone's still reading after this rather long break – reviews still would be very much appreciated, like always, since there really isn't a better motivation :)


	14. Author's Note

**jedi-josh**: Hihi. Well, there's a time for everything :)

**sofyen**: As always, many thanks for your review, I really appreciate it… and I'm sorry for the past and upcoming delays :(

**Alonna**: We'll see. That is, _you'll_ see… _I _know what will happen :p Thanks for your review!

* * *

I've put this off for as long as possible, but since the number of favourites and alerts on this story has risen drastically as of late, I don't really have much of a choice anymore. I don't like doing this, because I know that, as a reader, nothing is more frustrating than unfinished stories, but here goes: The story is officially on hiatus.

It's **not** dead, by any means. I've recently re-read the first few chapters and come to the decision that I need to re-work the story from the very beginning – this is not about typos and grammar, but about plot holes, stylistic, logical and chronological issues, characterisations… you get the idea. The story is already written up to chapter 31 (in German), but I feel I cannot really continue when I'm not satisfied with what I already have. I have re-written one and a half chapters… so far it looks good and I enjoy the results.

The downside is that it will take a while, especially because the chapters are getting _much_ longer, courtesy of added details and descriptions. First I will write the chapters up to number 14 in German, then translate them into English, finally continue re-writing the German chapters have left. That's not counting the time needed for proof-reading. It will take time, but hopefully it'll be worth the result. I'm still seriously in love with the story and have no intention of giving it up anytime soon.

The next time the story is updated it will contain the re-worked chapters, so if you want to comment on the story and want me to answer in the meanwhile, please leave me contact information (signed reviews, mail, icq, msn).

Many thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed the story until now – I hope you'll still be with me in the future.

Lily.


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